The White Silk Handbag
by Legacy of the Avatar
Summary: Zuko and Iroh are hired by the Gaang while in Ba Sing Se. After an accident with the Dai Li, they are forced to flee on the recovered Appa. Join the Gaang plus two on a journey to the Fire Nation that started with a white silk handbag.
1. The Handbag

Let's hope I don't get any damn second-day writer's block with this story.

Disclaimer: The only thing I own in this story is the purse that gave the inspiration for the title. And mine's a white knit bag anyway, but I thought Katara could buy a silk one. Besides, she deserves something special.

* * *

Zuko had been playing sick ever since that fateful date with Jin. He couldn't bear to see her, afraid she might ask what was so complicated.

A better question was what _wasn't _complicated. He couldn't get close to the girl because as soon as she realized he was Fire Nation (which he had no doubt would happen), she'd be terrified of him and anyone he got close to was either killed or hurt. _Besides, she wasn't even all that good-looking._

Sighing, Zuko rolled off his futon. He couldn't even meditate for fear he'd cause a fire to behave unnaturally. In short, he was bored.

"I can't believe I'm stuck here," he muttered. "And Uncle will probably bring me back some of that awful drink he calls tea."

Sure enough, when Iroh returned to the apartment, he brought Zuko some tea. "You can stop hiding now; Jin no longer comes to the teahouse," he informed his nephew. "Though I don't know why you were hiding from her. You said you had a nice evening with her."

"By nice, Uncle, I meant I wasn't bored. And do I have to drink that tea?" He didn't even ask how Iroh knew he was hiding from Jin.

"No. This is for me!" Iroh chuckled happily as he started making a fire and boiling water. Just as he was about to sit down and drink it, a knock came at the door. "Lee, go answer that please." Sighing again, the teenager got up and answered the door.

Two minor guards were standing there. "Is this the apartment of Lee and his uncle, Mushi?" one asked, mispronouncing Mushi as "mushy"

"Actually, it's pronounced 'moo-shi'. But yes, this is our apartment," Iroh called from his spot. "What can we do for you gentlemen?"

"Apparently some high-ranking guest likes a lot of tea and needs a server and a brewer. Everyone knows that the old man is the best tea maker in the city, and that he wouldn't do it without his nephew. Be sure to pack whatever items you have, as you will not be returning here. So, tomorrow, two of the Dai Li will lead you to your new place of employment and residence. Good night." With that, the two guards left.

"Well, that was abrupt," Zuko muttered, shutting the door. "At least we won't be working in the teashop anymore."

* * *

"I actually enjoyed my time at the spa last week. I don't think I'd mind going back." Toph and Katara were sitting out in the yard of their house, just relaxing and enjoying the night. Katara laughed at Toph's remark.

"How about we make it a weekly thing or so, as long as we're here? I didn't think months of sleeping next to a flying bison and two boys who smell like flying bison could make a girl so…icky." The two girls laughed at that.

Sokka came parading out, smug. "You will be happy to know that _I _got us two tea servers, thanks of the Ba Sing Se refugees. Not just two tea servers, but the best in the city."

Katara smiled and kissed her brother's cheek. "Thanks, Sokka. One, I get to have actual tea again. Two, we get to help out some of those poor refugees."

"Three, we get to have actual tea. The last time I had decent tea was back at the temple," Aang said, popping over the fence.

"Any luck finding Appa?" Toph asked softly. Aang shook his head and sighed.

"Not yet, though the baby rabbiroos are really cute and fluffy. We finally got all the house pets out of the habitats." The young Avatar yawned widely. "Okay, I'm going to bed. Night, guys."

The sounds of various "good-nights" rang throughout the small garden as the rest wandered off to their rooms. Katara stayed out a little longer, looking up at the moon.

"Good night, Mom," she whispered softly before turning in.

* * *

The next morning found Zuko and Iroh stuck in a bouncing carriage that had the curtains drawn. "It's hot in here," Zuko muttered childishly.

"I've asked to raise the curtains, but the guards seem adamant on keeping them closed." Looking around to make sure no one could hear him, Iroh whispered to Zuko. "Lower your body temperature."

Duh. Sometimes Zuko got so into hiding his bending he forgot just what he could do with it. Carefully, Zuko focused on decreasing the amount of heat near his skin. Instantly, he felt slightly cooler.

"Here we are." The carriage stopped dead, jolting its passengers forward; the two Firebenders hit heads. The door opened to a beautiful area of Ba Sing Se. "Come on."

Zuko was insanely jealous at the beauty of the inner circle. "Why should all these people get to live so comfortably while there are hundreds of people starving in the lower circle?" he asked his uncle.

"I agree that it is unfair, but that is just how Ba Sing Se is," Iroh pointed out. "I wonder which house is our new employers?"

"This one right here." One of the Dai Li opened the door and looked around. "They're not here." Iroh waddled in after him.

"Hmm. What's this?" He picked up a note left on the table. A bag of gold pieces was lying next to it.

"To Whoever,

"If none of us are here when you arrive with the two servants we hired, just tell them to get accustomed to the house. If you absolutely need to find one of us, check at either the new animal park, the weapons district of the market, or the spa. If none of us are at any of the aforementioned places, chances are we are returning.

"Please have some tea ready by three.

"Lady Bei Fong."

_Servant. That's what I've resorted to being. A servant, _Zuko thought disdainfully. Iroh reread the letter.

"Hmm…is there a market stall anywhere nearby that sells tea supplies?" he asked one of the Dai Li. The solider nodded.

"Three blocks away."

"Would it be acceptable for my nephew to go there?" The Dai Li nodded.

"Yes. We trust he will behave himself." With that, the two left. Zuko sighed.

"What do you need me to get, Uncle?" he asked, grabbing the purse.

"Hmm…jasmine and green tea leaves. Best go with the basics until we learn more about these people. I will try and find a kitchen in this house." Zuko rolled his eyes and left the house.

The market stall stood out like Zuko did at a Pai Sho match. The aroma of freshly brewed tea permeated the air for what seemed like miles.

"Do you have any jasmine or green tea leaves?" Zuko asked when he approached the stall.

"Yes. I also have some white tea. If you buy two pounds of the green, you get two pounds of the white free." Zuko paused. From the few bargaining lessons Iroh had given him, since white tea was typically more expensive than green tea, getting two pounds of it for the price of two pounds of green tea was a pretty good deal.

"Fine. Two pounds of green tea, and five pounds of jasmine." The merchant cocked an eyebrow.

"Five pounds?"

"It's not for me. I have an uncle who is very fond of it and ginseng."

"Well, your uncle is in luck. I have too much ginseng. I'll give it too you for five silver pieces, added to the three gold you owe me already."

Zuko paused again. He knew exactly what ginseng was used for at times and he did not need his uncle going on a binge. "How much do you have?"

"'Bout four pounds more than I can sell," the man shrugged. Zuko sighed.

"Fine. I'll take that too." Zuko took out some of the gold and paid the man.

"Lemme guess. Just hired?"

"Does it matter? And how would you know?"

"It doesn't matter; I'm just asking. Most people know what tea they're looking for and don't ask about another kind. Only recently hired or fickle-minded people ask." Zuko took the proffered tea bags.

"Or people looking for cheap prices on good tea," he pointed out. _I can't believe I'm actually saying this._

"Thank you." The merchant bowed. Zuko bowed slightly in return and headed off.

Deciding to get a general idea of what was around, Zuko took another path at a fork. He could hear the sounds of a river and smell the perfume that usually accompanied spas. There were several shops around this area, all catering to women's needs. Dress shops were many, as were beauty supplies and curio shops. There was a shop entirely devoted to handbags.

Two girls around his age came out of said shop. One, the shorter of the two, had black hair and pale skin; the taller was slightly darker and brunette. They had obviously just come from the nearby spa.

From where he stood, Zuko could not hear the conversation, but it seemed one of the girls was accusing the other of lying and saying she looked good. The taller (the blamed) obviously found this funny and shook her head before grabbing her friend's hand and leading her off in the same direction that Zuko was in.

A young man bumped them before they reached Zuko and didn't even apologize. "How rude," the shorter girl said. The other rolled her eyes and reached for her new bag.

It was gone.

Instantly, Zuko knew what had happened. Some desperate soul had resorted to theft. Before anything could be said, Zuko ran off after the thief. When he realized someone was chasing him, the man sped up.

"Stop that man!" one of the shopkeepers apparently had seen it and was pointing at the thief. Zuko sped up, hoping to reach him before he gave the slip.

Thankfully, the idiot tripped over a pygmy puma tail, causing the owner of said tail to pounce. Zuko reached the man and pulled the puma off. "Go on. Get out of here," he muttered, shooing the animal. "And I think you have something that doesn't belong to you." Zuko turned to the thief.

Scared witless, the bumbling oaf handed over the white silk handbag he had stolen. "Here." Zuko took it and dropped the man.

"Idiot," the Firebender muttered as he ran back to the girls. "Here." He was thankful it was windy and he had thought to get a hood. Zuko pulled the hood down to cover his scar.

The owner smiled and bowed to Zuko. "Thank you," she said. "Here." She tried to reward Zuko, but he pushed her hand.

"No need." The girl smiled and thanked him again. As the two girls walked away, Zuko frowned. Her voice sounded so familiar…

* * *

Chances are that you'll get the alert but won't be able to read it just yet. If you can read it, then please review. (And tell me if this is a good way to get Zuko and Katara to interact first chapter.) 


	2. When Life Gives You Lemons

Four day weekend, four day weekend, four day weekend, four day weekend!

It's a four day weekend, can't ya tell? ;)

* * *

Katara and Toph headed towards one of the trinket stores. "I can't believe some loser would try and rob you," Toph said for the zillionth time.

"I know. And that man seemed so familiar, but I just don't know why." Toph picked up a carved pygmy puma.

"Sounded like Scarface, the guy you called an angry freak with a ponytail. Wasn't he the one who yelled at you when you offered to heal the old guy with him?"

"Yeah."

"It's him. I never forget a voice. Can't really remember faces, can I?" Katara giggled softly and looked at a model of a zebra seal.

"Can I help you ladies?" the shopkeeper asked.

"No, we're just browsing," Toph replied. "Though how much is this pygmy puma model?"

"Being made from wood, it's only a few silver pieces."

"What the heck. I'll take it." She pulled out some the silver that was part of the allowance given to each by the city. "Could you box it, please? It's a gift."

"That's right! His birthday is next week! What on Earth do you get the Avatar?" Katara asked.

"He likes animals, correct?" the shopkeeper asked. "I heard about the new zoo he made."

"He likes animals, yeah." The shopkeeper nodded.

"I recently got this in from an art student at the university. It's a flying bison model carved from real jade." He brought out the model. Katara gasped.

"It looks just like Appa. How did the art student carve it? Did he use a model?"

"From what _she_ told me, I think she found it in an old scroll. She might have used a model. You can never tell with her. Give her a general description and she'll draw it perfectly."

"Do you know where the artist can be found?" Toph asked, getting Katara's idea. If the artist had used a live model, then she'd know where Appa was.

"The University. I don't know her real name, just what she signs her work as. Asatu."

* * *

It was around three o'clock when everyone returned home. "Any signs of Appa?" Sokka asked.

"Nope."

"Sugar Queen and I didn't see the giant fluffy fuzz ball," Toph said. She and Katara had agreed not to tell Aang until he got his gift. "Do you smell tea?"

The others sniffed the air. "Smells like green tea, I think," Aang said.

"Actually, it's my own special blend of white tea and green tea," came a familiar voice. "Even my nephew likes it."

"I do not," Zuko complained.

Toph, being unable to see, did not see the faces of the others when Iroh and Zuko entered. "Told ya so, Katara. Can I try some of that tea?" She reclined on her small seat, holding a cup.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Sokka ordered. "Do they know who you are?"

"They know my uncle is the best tea maker in the city, according to popular opinion," Zuko spat. "I can't believe this."

"Yeah, well, you ain't the only one, Scarface! I'm serious, though. Could I try some of that tea? I kinda prefer to taste, feel, or smell things, since I can't really see them." Toph waved a hand in front of her made-up eyes.

"Here." Aang took her cup and handed it to Iroh, then handed it back when it was full.

"What are we going to do now?" Sokka asked. "It's not like we can let them stay."

Zuko was ready to snap, but to his surprise, the Waterbender, whom he figured was Katara, beat him to it.

"Why not? If they're here, I'm sure they aren't after Aang anymore, Sokka," she pointed out, taking the cup Iroh offered her.

"I'm just sayin', it wouldn't surprise me if they're spying for the Fire Nation or something," Sokka said casually, trying the tea. "Hmm, this is good."

"Thank you. And if you want my opinion in this matter," Iroh stated, "I can promise you my nephew will not hurt your friend on one condition."

"What?"

"He is Lee and I am Mushi when in public." Aang looked at him.

"When we leave, will you also help me learn F-freestyle?" he asked, correcting himself before saying "Firebending". Iroh nodded.

"Seems perfectly acceptable to me. Nephew?" Iroh turned to Zuko, who merely shrugged.

"I don't care." With that, he left the front room. Toph frowned.

"He always like this?" Iroh sighed.

"Unfortunately, yes."

* * *

Katara was up late that night. She had changed into her nightclothes and tried to sleep, but she just couldn't settle down. The thought of Zuko _working _for her and her friends just blew her mind out of the water. Grabbing her robe, she slipped out of her small bedroom.

The young Waterbender crept out to the main room, careful not bump into anything. That didn't mean she was careful not to run into any_one._

"Watch where you're going!" she muttered, rubbing her shin.

"It's dark and I can't see! I can't watch where I'm going," Zuko muttered in response. "And what are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep. You?" Zuko laughed humorlessly.

"The night I sleep more that an hour or two is the day I'm on my way to being Fire Lord. Where were you going this late?"

"The kitchen. I always drink something warm when I can't sleep. Or some sort of milk. That also works when I'm tired and can't sleep. Where were you heading?" She felt around for the wall or a table, hitting Zuko's knee."

"Ow. I was…going out into the gardens. I need to think," Zuko replied. Katara nodded, then remembered what had happened that morning.

"Can I talk to you in the kitchen?"

"I'd rather not."

"Well tough. As long as you are working for me and my friends, you'll do what I ask. Besides, there are a few things I want to ask you."

Zuko sighed. She probably wanted to know why he and his uncle were in the Earth Kingdom Capital, what had happened after the village incident, why he had shorter hair; in short, Katara's versions of Jin's questions. He followed the girl, his new employer.

"You were the guy who chased down that thief when my bag was stolen, weren't you?" was the first question. Zuko looked at her.

"You're that young lady?" _Impossible. That woman was too refined and elegant for it to be her. _

"I'll take that as a yes, you are the guy." Katara stopped looking for a clean cup for a moment. "Thanks. It has my allowance for this week in it, and I'll need it to buy Aang's birthday gift next week."

"What were you doing with a white silk handbag anyway?" Zuko asked. Katara rolled her eyes and went back to her search.

"I bought it. The only ones who know about it are you, me, and Toph, and I'd like to keep it that way. I have absolutely nothing to hide my stuff in and for a fourteen-, almost fifteen-year-old girl, that's not good."

"That small bag isn't going to hide much," Zuko pointed out, not bothering to tell her that his uncle had completely reorganized the kitchen to be in harmony with the feng shui of the place. Katara looked at Zuko.

"I don't need it to hold everything but the water bucket! I just want to be able to hide things away from Sokka and Aang if I want to. Have you seen the cups?" She turned fully around, hands on her hips.

"My uncle organized it so everything is in balance with nature," Zuko explained. "If you know anything about feng shui, then go look for the cups. I have no clue." Katara sighed and looked in a lower cabinet.

"Some people…" she muttered inaudibly. She pulled out a cup and looked for something. _Hmm…gorilla-goat milk, cow-pig milk, or hot lemon water? _With Zuko, it would be easier to make the lemon water now, but she also liked the many varieties of milk. Back in the South Pole, there was one type of milk. Frozen whale milk, which tasted worse than Sokka's cooking.

_I can have milk any day. I haven't had hot lemon water in a while, _she decided. "Zuko, heat up some water, would you?"

Zuko wanted nothing more than to say "no", but the girl (still had to learn her name) could tell the Dai Li that he was being violent or something. Reluctantly, Zuko did as he was asked.

"Thanks." Katara poured some water into her cup and added enough fresh lemon juice to have come from two lemons. Zuko sniffed, then frowned.

"Why so much lemon?" Katara shrugged.

"I like lemons. They're still pretty exotic for me, since the only thing we had by way of fruit back home was these rock-hard frost apples. They're nasty." She took a sip of the lemon water, hissing at the temperature Zuko had made the water. "_Hot_." Zuko smirked.

"Of course. You asked for me to heat the water up, so I did," he replied. Katara rolled her eyes. She hurriedly drank the rest of the lemon water then set the cup on the shelf of dirty dishes.

"Well, good night," she said, tightening her robe around her as she exited the kitchen. Something fell from her robe pocket.

Zuko bent down. It was that necklace that he had used to bribe her into telling him where the Avatar was. He looked up to call her back, but decided to return it in the morning. _She probably doesn't even realize it fell out. _He only hoped her brother didn't accuse him of stealing.


	3. Searching for An Answer

Curse you poor eyesight...if this comes up funny, sorry, I had to make my typing text bigger. Grrr...

* * *

Sokka didn't accuse Zuko of stealing the necklace. Sokka didn't know Zuko _had_ the necklace. The poor former prince had been trying to give it back, but he never had the opportunity to talk to her. Why? Because her brother was reveling in having Zuko as a servant, having him every stupid thing.

"Sokka, I'm sure the contract stated he was to help his uncle with the kitchen stuff," Aang said whenever Sokka told Zuko to do something completely trivial. "That's what we're paying them for."

"What contract? Are we even paying him? I know we're paying his uncle, but him? I thought he was just baggage," Sokka remarked. Zuko was ready to knock this little brat's block off, but didn't want to cause problems for his uncle. Iroh didn't know, but Zuko had been observing his uncle since they had arrived in Ba Sing Se. The filth and overcrowded-ness of the third circle had taken its toll on Iroh's health and he had developed a cough when he thought Zuko wasn't watching.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he continued what he had been doing, which was getting Sokka's dumb boomerang down from a high ledge that the "warrior boy" was too lazy to try and reach. Zuko wondered how the boomerang could have gotten up there, short of the boy throwing it up there on purpose. (Which he had probably done.)

It had been about half a week since the Avatar and his friends had hired Zuko and his uncle. (Secretly, he wished he were back in the third ring. At least that idiot couldn't boss him around there.) The two girls, whom Zuko had gathered were Katara and Toph, were out a lot, being incredibly secretive. He supposed it had to do with the Avatar's upcoming birthday. Whatever the reason, it was when they were out that Sokka took full advantage.

"Could you hurry? I'd like to practice before Katara gets back."

Break

"Excuse me, sir, could you tell us where we could find an art student who signs her work 'Asatu'?" Katara asked. The professor shook her head.

"I don't think there are any girls taking art courses this term. You could ask Professor Gan. He knows a bit more about the art department than I do."

"Any idea where we could this Professor Gan?" Toph questioned.

"Try the sculpture park. He likes to people-and-statue-watch there. It's just north of here. You can't miss it."

Katara and Toph thanked the history professor and went on their way. "I don't why you are so set on finding this artist. She probably got a picture and carved it," Toph said. Katara nodded.

"I know, but there's always a chance she didn't. C'mon." The two girls followed the path to the garden. Katara stopped. "That's a_ big_ sculpture."

It was carved into the likeness of the first Earth Avatar, Avatar Bhumi, and it stood out at the front. Katara could see the sculptures of Agni, Jala, and Vaya, the first Fire, Water, and Air Avatars, respectively. Agni's sculpture seemed a little neglected, but Katara assumed that was only expected, with the war and all. "Hmmm…which statue to check around first?" she murmured.

"Try that one over there." Toph pointed the general direction of a statue. Katara shrugged and went off.

Thirty statues and five ponds later, they found the elusive professor. He was sitting on bench, one elbow on his knee, his fist under his chin. He appeared to be thinking. Katara approached him carefully. "Um, Professor Gan?" The man jumped.

"I didn't break that statue! The arms were gone I when I got there!" He realized who had gotten his attention. Nervously, he ran a hand through his salt and pepper colored hair. "Oh, sorry. Please forget I said anything just now. May I help you?"

"Yeah. You know an artist who signs the work 'Asatu' and recently carved a flying bison?" Toph asked, fed up with all the walking and searching.

"Flying bison? A six-legged beaver-looking thing with horns?"

"Yeah."

"Was it made from jade?"

"Yeah."

Gan shook his head. "Nope. Don't know the man." At Toph's agitated face and Katara's fallen, he chuckled. "But I know the woman. Would you like to see her?"

Katara perked up and nodded. "Yes, if that's okay." Gan scratched his stubby chin.

"Hmm. I think she started on another project, which means she won't talk to anyone for several days. Could you wait until then?" Toph turned to Katara and whispered in her ear.

"Do we pull the Avatar card?"

"No. We can wait a few days, like on Aang's birthday on Friday. Is she free Friday?" Katara asked the older man.

"Since she's only working with clay this time, she'll be done by Friday at about one," Gan said. "Would you like me to tell her you asked for her?"

"Yes, please. If she wants to know our names, it's Katara and Toph. We might have a few more friends with us, since we're looking for her because of the jade sculpture we bought for a friend's birthday," Katara said. Gan nodded.

"I'll tell her. Pleasure meeting you ladies." He bowed; Katara bowed in return.

"Same to you. C'mon, Toph." Toph shook her head. "Why?"

"We're lost. I can't tell which direction we came from," the blind Earthbender replied.

"Did you past the Vaya statue or the Bhumi?" Gan asked.

"Bhumi."

"Go left, then left, then right. I get lost all the time in here. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Gan resumed his previous position, muttering something about the shape of the lump of rock he was studying. (That's what the sculpture looked like. A lump of shapeless rock.)

It took a couple of tries, but the two teenaged girls got out around dinner. "We missed lunch!" Toph moaned. "All because you had to go find some loony professor!"

"Hey, that student of his could know where Appa is, Toph, so it was worth it. And are you telling me you wanted lunch after that huge breakfast we had this morning?" Toph sighed.

"I never thought someone who was raised in a palace could cook so well," she remembered. "I never ate such spicy food! I liked it." Katara laughed and hugged Toph in a sisterly way.

"Are you sure you don't have a crush on my brother? You sound a lot like him," she teased. Toph scowled.

"He likes that painted chick, Suki. I heard them talking and…kissing," Toph admitted. Katara giggled.

"Shame on you! Eavesdropping on my brother." Toph punched Katara in the arm playfully.

"Are you saying you never did?" Katara laughed even louder at that, giving Toph her answer.

"I'm his baby sister; it's my job to spy on him. _Someone _has to do it," Katara joked. Toph laughed and shook her head.

Break

Katara and Toph arrived back at the house just as dinner was done. "Perfect timing," Aang said, waving his hand in greeting.

"We got lost in a sculpture garden," Toph explained. "It's kinda easy to do, especially when one can't see and the other stops and looks at the First Avatar Sculptures, and every sculpture that catches her eyes."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Which one are you? The blind one or the one with the short attention span?" Katara hit her brother with a water whip.

"I do not have a short attention span, Sokka. You're the one that can't find entertainment in one thing for more than fifteen minutes! Well, except girls."

Zuko, who was eavesdropping, refrained from snorting. _She obviously hasn't seen him ridicule me, _he thought. Absently, he felt the pendant in his pocket. The smooth stone helped to calm his nerves; he had noticed the same thing when he had first possessed it. Often, especially when he had missed the Avatar, he would hole himself in his cabin, attempt to meditate, and end up rubbing that pendant.

"Um, nephew? A little help?" Zuko turned to see Iroh struggling to get past the sliding screen that separated the rest of the house from the kitchen. Zuko pulled the screen back and helped his uncle through. "Thank you."

"I don't see how you can be so cheerful all the time, Uncle. We're lower than those two Water Tribe peas-siblings ever were!" Zuko had almost said "peasants", but since they were his employers now, he really couldn't call them that. "And that so-called 'warrior' seems determined to belittle me at every possible opportunity." Iroh gave his nephew a meaningful look.

"Can you blame him? You were trying to capture the Avatar and you did tie his younger sister to a tree, though that was her fault. I'm sure it'll pass," Iroh commented, leaving his nephew and going out into the dining area with the dinner. Various "thank you's" and "smells delicious" remarks greeted Iroh. Zuko winced when he heard Sokka's voice ask (more like order) him (Zuko) for a drink.

Grumbling, Zuko went back into the kitchen, poured a cup of the tea his uncle had made, and walked out. All this time, he was trying to think of a plan to hurt this thorn without being caught.

Katara noticed that Zuko seemed unusually despondent, and she remembered overhearing a discussion between Zuko and his uncle a few mornings ago, the day after they had arrived.

_Flashback_

"_Uncle, how do you do it?" Katara strained to hear them better._

"_Do what, Zuko?"_

"_Deal with it all! Losing your status, your money, your honor, your home?" The sneaky Waterbender heard Iroh sigh._

"_I never cared for the title 'Retired General'. It makes me sound old." He chuckled, then grew serious. "As for the next thing, money is not important, Zuko. And, I have natural ability to make anyplace seem like home."_

"_What about your honor?" _

"_There are only two ways to lose honor. One, if you are a young woman (thank Agni you're not), then someone can take it forcibly from you. Two, if you take away a young woman's honor, which you have not done, or anything else dishonorable, again, as far as I know, you have not done."_

"_Tell that to the Fire Nation," Zuko spat. Iroh sighed. Katara could picture him shaking his head and putting his hands in his sleeves._

"_Everything you do has a ring of honor to it, Prince Zuko," he said quietly. Katara heard Zuko stop, then snort in derision._

"_I'm not a prince."_

_End Flashback_

Coming back to reality, Katara watched as Zuko handed her brother his drink. "Hey, Zu-um, Lee," she said suddenly, catching herself. Everyone turned to her. Katara blushed furiously.

"Yes?" _What does she want?_

_Oh, great job, Katara! Just open your mouth, why doncha? _"Um, I plan on doing some last-minute shopping for Aang's birthday tomorrow. Would you please escort me? I don't want another incident like last time."

"Last time? What happened last time?" Katara waved her brother off.

"Nothing. Someone tried to rob me, but Zuko caught them and returned my…necklace." She was not about to tell Sokka about her private bag.

"Again? Geez, Katara, you really need to get that band replaced. That's the, what, third time you've lost it?" Sokka remarked.

"Fifth, actually," his sister corrected. "So, Zuko? Will you?"

Zuko thought about it. _Stay here and be insulted by her brother, or go with the girl, Katara, and return her necklace. _"I'd be willing to escort you," he said, bowing.

"Thanks. Can you be ready at around ten? I want to leave before lunch but after the morning rush."

Playing the part of servant to a "T", Zuko replied, "I can be ready by nine, if you'd prefer." Agni, how he hated playing servant to these people. Yes, apart from the Water Boy and the times he had been chasing them, they had been nothing other than polite; it still killed him inside, damaging his already wounded pride and weak sense of self-respect. He didn't notice Katara nodding, slight concern in her eyes.

"Nine sounds okay. In that case, I'm off to bed. G'night."

* * *

Well, how's it so far? Sorry if the updates are slow; I have a group thingy on Tuesdays and various school clubs, plus we recently got the last two X-Men movies. (My sister and I did joint "Fangirl Squeals" when we saw.) Life is veddy hectic. (Yes, I mean veddy, not very.) 


	4. Zuko: Prince, Refugee, Escort?

Katara woke up early that morning, last night's small "discussion" with Zuko still playing in her head. Why was she so concerned for him?

Sighing, the young woman got off of her (rather soft) futon and grabbed her clothes from the top of the trunk provided with the house. Katara absently wondered where her necklace had gone. Again.

"Sokka's right. Today, if I can find the thing, I am replacing the band," she murmured. Carefully, so as not to wake anyone else up (it was only six-ish), Katara made her way to the washroom.

It took her longer that anticipated to get ready, since a certain winged lemur had decided to use her hairbrush as a stuffed rabbiroo (which she wanted for _her _birthday) and had refused to give it back. Then she had to find her hair ties, which Momo had decided made great tailrings.

"Stupid lemur," she muttered, getting any traces of lemur-fur off her stuff. Katara made a mental note to put all of her hair supplies in her bag.

Finally, at around seven, Katara was ready and could smell something cooking. "Wait for the others and risk not getting much, or go to the kitchen now?" she muttered. It didn't take long to decide. "I'd rather not deal with Sokka-hunger in the morning for once." She headed for the kitchen.

Obviously, Iroh was up. He nodded and smiled when he saw Katara. "You wish to avoid your brother's table manners today?" he asked. Katara laughed and nodded.

"Yes. Have you ever actually eaten with him when he's grumpy? Makes Momo's table manners seem like a queen's!" Iroh laughed, then frowned slightly.

"Momo? The little lemur?" Katara nodded. "Is he a pet of someone's?"

"Yeah. We found him at the Southern Air Temple." Iroh nodded and handed Katara a plate of what looked like…fried fruit?

"Then I will have to make doubly sure that Zuko doesn't decide to fry it when it wakes him up again." Katara laughed and prodded at her breakfast with her chopsticks.

"I'm sorry, but what is this?" Iroh smirked at Katara's face.

"Fried fruit, just like it looks like. It's a Fire Nation favorite on hot days. Try it." He urged her on, hoping she wouldn't be like his nephew and refuse.

Thankfully, Katara was almost always open to new foods and was willing to try the fruit. She cautiously took a bite of it, then broke out into a big grin.

"This is _really_ good," she admitted. "Even Sokka would like it. Then again, he'll eat almost anything that's not still moving. Heck, he'd probably eat it if it was moving." Iroh nodded.

The two had a pleasant conversation during the small breakfast. They were knee deep in a discussion on Pai Sho when Zuko came out.

"Uncle, can you please stop talking about that silly game _for once in your life?_" he asked. Iroh turned to Zuko.

"But Miss Katara here has never played it! She offered to pick up a board and another tile set today." Katara nodded as she stood and used her Waterbending to clean the plates and cups she and Iroh had used.

"Might as well get something to do when I'm not out or practicing my bending. Besides, it sounds fun."

Zuko groaned and held his head in his hands. _Not another one…_ "In that case, d'you want to get going now?" Katara nodded.

"Might as well. Ready?" Zuko nodded and extended an arm to the back door.

"Ladies first," he said, no mockery in his voice. Katara bowed and exited. Before Zuko left, he saw his uncle nod in approval. Zuko nodded in return, then went to join his "charge", for lack of a better word.

"You look…different," Katara said as they walked off. "And I'm not talking about your hair, either." Zuko looked at his clothing.

"Maybe the fact I'm wearing a decent shirt for once?" he asked. Katara giggled and nodded. That was probably it. He had only worn a slightly threadbare green shirt since he had arrived at the house.

"That might be it. I've only ever seen you in that bulky armor or refugee clothing," Katara said. "You look a lot better in normal clothing."

"Should I be complimented or insulted?" Zuko muttered. Katara frowned, but let the comment slide.

"I need to hit that trinket store you caught me outside of last time. The shop owner is holding Aang's present for me," she remarked. Zuko merely nodded. Together, they headed for the shopping district. No one tried to insult or be improper to them, though Zuko's constant glare might have helped in that matter.

They reached the shop just as it was opening up. The shopkeeper recognized Katara. "Oh, yes. You wanted to pick up that bison today. Come with me." He unlocked the door and allowed both of them in.

"It's back here. I had to take it off the display so no one else would ask for it. Jade bison are incredibly valuable to collectors. You can look around for now!" The man went back to his storeroom, leaving Katara and Zuko alone.

Katara began to inspect the shop's new wares, including a jewelry box of painted marble. There was a yin yang design on it. Again, this piece was signed "Asatu".

"She does a lot of work," murmured Katara. Looking at the price, she hastily set the box down. "A lot of _expensive _work."

The shopkeeper came back and handed Katara a wrapped box. "There you go. That comes to…one hundred and twenty-five gold pieces, with the gift-wrapping." Katara handed the man the saved up and borrowed gold pieces, carefully putting Aang's gift in her white handbag.

"Thank you for holding this for me. Aang's gonna love it." The merchant nodded.

"Thank you for your patronage. I hope to see you again soon!" With that, the man went around, getting the shop ready for other customers.

"C'mon, Lee." Zuko nodded and followed Katara out. The entire time he had been in that shop had been spent (oddly enough) watching Katara. He could tell she was interested in that jewelry box. _Maybe for her birthday…what the hell am I saying? _Zuko shook his head. Sometimes, he worried about himself.

Thinking about the jewelry box reminded him of something, though. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace. "You dropped this a few days ago." Zuko handed it to Katara, who gasped.

"Thank for finding it, Lee. Now, where's the closet jewelers?" she muttered.

"I thought you spent all your money on that bison."

"All the money Sokka and Toph had pitched in, plus my gold, yes. I still have plenty of silver and too much copper. I'm sure it can pay for a replacement band on my mother's necklace." The young Waterbender looked around, finally spotting a small jeweler's shop with (people stuffed inside) nearby. "Oh, no. It'll take all day at that rate."

"I'll go in and get it fixed," Zuko offered. "Somehow, I don't think it'll take all day." Katara looked at Zuko, then looked at the twin swords that never left his side, back at his scar, then down at the swords. He made a formidable figure; people would have to be either stupid or in a hurry to stop Zuko.

"You're probably right. Here," she said, handing him a small brown coin purse. "That should cover it."

Zuko nodded, took both bag and necklace, and headed towards the jeweler's.

Most of the other patrons, upon his arrival, stepped aside so he could go ahead. Some it was because of his slightly terrifying demeanor, others because they thought he was repairing a necklace for a fiancée or wife and who were they to get in the way of a happy couple?

A few patrons with larger orders didn't care; that headpiece had cost them three years worth of rent (well, at least, three years of a beggar's rent), and no one was going to prolong that wait.

It only took about ten minutes before Zuko was able to get some service. He handed the man the necklace, saying, "I need the band replaced. It keeps coming off her neck."

The clerk smiled and went to a back room. "Any particular material?"

"What can ninety silver pieces buy?" It was about half of the silver he had been given.

"Ninety silver? That can get you the finest silk, since it's only a replacement, and you'll still have a few pieces left over." Zuko nodded. That would be fine. "Do you want it in the same color blue?"

Was this man an idiot? _Of course_ he wanted it in the same color blue. "Yes," was all he said. The man nodded again and began the quick process of replacing a broken band. He was done in two minutes.

"There you go. It's only seventy silver, by the way." Zuko nodded and handed the amount requested over to the man.

"Thank you." Zuko left the building. He looked around for Katara, not finding her where he had left her. _Where on earth is she? There!_

She _was_ where he had left her, just surrounded by men. Zuko sped up; he didn't like the look of that situation.

He was right not to have liked the look of that situation. These were the kind of men who seemed nice, then as soon as they got you home…wham.

"C'mon…I'm sure your 'escort' won't mind losing you for a few hours."

"Oh, I'm sure he will, since he knows my brother would kill him," Katara assured him. "Speaking of which…there you are, Lee." She looked at him. _"Help me," _she mouthed.

Zuko casually rested a hand on his sword handles. "Sorry, miss," he said, playing the part perfectly. "There was a long line."

"It's fine. Now, I think it's time to be heading back." Zuko nodded and extended a hand to Katara; she took it and allowed him to lead her away. The other men just glared.

About three miles away, Zuko let go of Katara's hand and returned her necklace. "That was close," she muttered, taking her necklace and clasping it on her neck.

"I agree."

* * *

A little bit of progress with these two. Not much, but I'm working on it. Though if you're craving Zutara fluff _NOW, _then give me a request and maybe I'll do a oneshot/drabble thingy.

As a side note...review!


	5. Birthday Sketches

Wow, five chapters and I've got...68 reviews? Awesome!

I GOT THE AVATAR MAGAZINE! A little late, yeah, but who cares. If you've read it, did you see the Zutara references? Yay!

* * *

The two teenagers made their way back to the house by the long route. They had stopped for lunch at a small bakery-like shop, so they hadn't returned until three. Sokka was suspicious of Zuko until Katara told him to shut up, that Zuko had helped her out.

"He even found my necklace," she said, showing her brother.

"Fine." Sokka looked around furtively before continuing. "Did you get the you-know-what?"

"Of course," Katara replied. "I'll keep it hidden until tomorrow. Oh, and then we're going to visit someone who might know something about Appa."

"You found Appa?" Aang popped his head out from the room he was meditating.

"No, but we heard that someone might have an idea. We aren't sure, so don't get you're hopes too high," Katara explained. Aang nodded.

"Well, I gotta get back to this boring thing they call 'meditating'. According to him," Aang jerked a thumb in Iroh's direction, "I might as well get a head start on the basics of the basics. Geez, and I thought Earthbending was hard." Katara smiled at the young Avatar.

"Well, tomorrow you get the whole day off." Aang did his victory dance.

"I can't wait! Thirteen was a big number for the monks at the Air Temple. Usually, that's when you got the tattoos. Being the Avatar, I got them a little early," Aang said sheepishly, rubbing his neck. Toph, who was sitting nearby, rolled her sightless eyes.

"Go meditate. It's good for Earthbending as well. Heck, it's probably good for Waterbending and Airbending and digestion!" Iroh, who had come out of the kitchen during this conversation, laughed.

"Actually, it is." Toph held her hands up.

"See?" Everyone cracked up. Even Zuko managed a small smile. He noticed Katara's odd look, but since she didn't say anything, neither would he.

* * *

Aang woke up a ridiculously early hour, even for Zuko. "Come on! I want to see what I got!" Toph, the first he had woken up, grunted.

"Your presents will still be there in a few hours, Twinkle Toes. As your Earthbending teacher, I order you to _go back to sleep!_ Now!"

"Aw, c'mon Toph! You'd be excited if it was your birthday!" Aang pulled the covers off of his teacher, causing the young girl to mutter obscene words that shouldn't be said in the presence of a monk.

"Fine, I'm up."

"Same here." Sokka's voice was muffled in his reply.

"Chirp!"

"It's kinda hard to sleep when you're best friend is having a spasm," Katara joked from her mattress.

"Chirp!"

"The Avatar is so loud, I heard him from the room behind the kitchen," Iroh's voice replied, dim due to distance.

"Chirp!"

"I hate waking up early," Zuko muttered to his uncle, who chuckled.

"Chirp!"

The chirps were from Momo, who was holding an oddly shaped rock in his forepaws. Aang laughed and took the rock from Momo, who promptly scurried to his shoulder. Aang studied the rock. Some quirk of nature had made it look like the young monk's face. He scratched Momo behind the ears. "Thanks, boy. What about you guys?"

Sokka, hair still a mess, came into Toph's section of the large bedroom/bathroom. He was carrying a large package, wrapped in simple brown paper. "I forgot to wrap it until yesterday, so sorry for the paper." Aang ripped it open eagerly, only to see that the warrior had gotten him…

"Clothes?" Aang held up new robes in a darker shade of yellow, almost gold, and the same pale orange-pinkish color. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Katara made me get them. I bought this for you, as a guy-to-guy gift," he whispered, slipping Aang a bottle of Earth Kingdom cologne. "Use on the girls you like." Aang blushed and muttered thanks to Sokka. Toph groped around with her face still in the pillow for a few seconds, her small hand finally reaching the small box containing the pygmy puma model she had bought.

"Here ya go, Twinkles. Happy birthday." Aang opened the box and studied the puma model.

"It's one of those paint-the-model things! See, it even comes with the paint and brushes!" Sokka looked into the box. Toph pulled her head out of the pillow to feel the sealed jars of paint and the brush.

"Hmm. Didn't even notice that," she murmured. "Looks like the artist likes to promote the arts. You like it, right?" Aang replied with a tight squeeze.

"I love it, Toph! Gives me something to do when I'm bored." Toph let Aang hug her for a few more seconds, then wiggled out.

"Glad y'like it. Hey, Sugar Queen! Get in here! And bring your gifts!"

"Coming!" Katara entered fully groomed and dressed. "Here Aang. This is my gift." She handed him a painting of him, gliding. "Took me forever to do it, but I got it done."

"Oh, wow, Katara. Am I really that short?" Katara laughed.

"That's not all. The three of us pitched in to buy this." She pulled out the ornate box that held the jade bison. Aang smiled and began to open it.

"Thanks…" He trailed off as he took in what had to Appa's likeness. "It looks just like Appa," he said mournfully. Toph sighed.

"Oh, cheer up Aang. Katara and I got an appointment with artist to see if she used a model on it. We're bringin' you and Sokka along, too. We'll find that fluffy fuzzball soon." She playfully punched Aang's arm. "Now, scram so I get dressed!" The others left, Sokka and Aang to get dressed, Katara to make sure that Aang's special dessert was still frozen.

Iroh met her at the kitchen. "The Avatar is…perky for a thirteen-year-old. I remember my nephew couldn't be dragged out of bed for the world at his age. He still doesn't enjoy getting up too early."

"Really? He said something about rising with the sun one time," Katara remembered. Iroh nodded.

"It is a Firebender's nature to get up at sunrise, but most Firebenders don't have the nightmares that often plague my nephew," he said softly, making sure Zuko couldn't hear.

Katara nodded understandingly. "I need to check on Aang's birthday dessert."

"Of course."

Several hours later, after lunch and Aang's frozen ice cream sculpture (made by Katara, of course), everyone prepared to go to the university.

"Miss Katara, can I speak with you for a moment?" Iroh pulled Katara away from tying her necklace. "It's obvious that my nephew dislikes staying here for too long, so could you…"

"Take him with us, as an escort or something?" Katara finished. Iroh nodded. "Hey Aang! Mind if Zu…er, Lee, escorts me to the university?" Aang looked at her.

"Sure. If we run into anyone, it's always good to have an extra somebody hanging around. What about you?" The birthday boy turned to Iroh.

"Walking too much makes my old bones hurt. I'm quite content here," Iroh assured them. "I'll go tell my nephew that he is to accompany you." Iroh ambled off to tell Zuko and to help him look decent.

"Uncle, I'm seventeen! I know how to make myself presentable," Zuko muttered. Iroh shook his head.

"Yes, but you…you…you don't do it right! It's a small wonder you don't attract as many young ladies as you could!" Zuko blushed furiously at his uncle's comment. _He's worse than a mother or an aunt or a grandmother, _the poor Firebender thought. He sighed and got dressed.

"It's the university, Uncle. I'm not going on a date again," Zuko reminded Iroh when he tried to slick Zuko's hair back. He found Katara waiting for him outside the kitchen.

"Hurry! We have to be there at one hour after noon!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Sokka and the others are waiting!" _Boys…_she thought disdainfully.

_Girls…_Zuko said to himself. He'd never understand them.

* * *

"Oh, the young girls from the sculpture garden. I can't remember if you gave me your names." The professor, Gan, met the group outside the university.

"I'm Katara and that's Toph. The other's are Sokka, my brother, Aang, the Avatar, and Lee, my escort," Katara said, introducing each person. Gan looked at Lee, as if sizing him up, then nodded.

"You're in luck. She just finished that spirits forsaken mural." Gan began to lead them to a back wall.

"Mural?" The word was a little strange to the group of teenagers.

"A gigantic wall painting the size of an elephant koi. Happened to be of an elephant koi," Gan added as an afterthought. "Anyway, don't be surprised if she asks to sketch someone. She's borderline obsessed/scatterbrained." With that, he brought them to a brightly colored wall.

A young girl about twenty or so was covered in orange and black spots, blue streaks, and white blotches. The only unpainted part of her was her burnt brown hair.

"Finally! Ona is going to be happy that I captured those annoying large fish perfectly. 'Course, like I'd do anything else," she exclaimed. She then realized that Gan and the others were behind her. "Oh! Professor!"

Gan laughed. "Your sister is going to like what you've done. Ano, these young people want to talk to about a piece you did a few weeks ago."

"Sure. Let me just find something not so badly paint-splattered and I'll be right with you. I'll bring my paper and brushes; I've never seen a scar like that, or a necklace even comparable to those." Zuko's hand flew to his scar and Katara instinctively touched her necklace. Gan chuckled.

"I told you she's obsessed and little scatterbrained. I keep telling her to add an 'S' to her signature so it reads 'Silly Art Student At The University' or to add a 'P', for possessed."

Toph muttered to Katara, "So that's what 'Asatu' means. Creative." Katara nodded in agreement.

The artist, Gan had called her Ano, came back. "So, what can I do for you guys?"

"You made this jade bison, right?" Aang asked, holding out his present. Ano looked at it and nodded.

"Yup. Took me forever, but I did. Never spent so much time with Ona in my life. What about the bison?" Ano started sketching something.

"How did you carve it?"

"Well, I'm an Earthbender, so it wasn't too hard, just had to restart when I dropped my first model…"

"No. Did you use a picture or an actual bison?" Toph clarified. Ano looked offended.

"I'm not the type of artist who relies on pictures that could be inaccurate. Ona let me into that giant bison's pen. Poor thing, had him tied down so he wouldn't fly off. Ticked Ona off, let me tell you, what with her animal rights and civil rights and all that." Ano continued to sketch.

"You used a real bison? Where are they keeping him?" Aang asked, excited. Ano nodded towards the university.

"Ask Ona, she's the one in animal sciences. I'm horrible with maps and places. I still get lost in the university."

Zuko spoke up for the first time. "Where can we find Ona?"

"Prob'ly in her room, studying. She won't mind a break though, trust me." The group nodded and started to leave. "Oh, here." Ano handed Katara her sketch. "Maybe later you can get someone to paint it, but it has to be a perfect color match." Katara smiled her thanks and took the drawing. Blushing she handed it to Zuko. He studied the picture before silently groaning.

It was picture of the two of them, hand in hand, in a glade with a waterfall in the background.

* * *

Sneaky little artist...making a picture of Zuko and Katara in love...hehehehehehe 


	6. Skipping Town

I _really _hate Ba Sing Se now...buncha bastards.

* * *

The group of teenagers wandered the halls of the university, trying to find the elusive Ona. Finally, someone was kind enough to point them in the right direction.

"Are you sure this is her room?" Sokka asked, unsure that the flimsy screen door blocked the only person who might know where Appa is in the entire Ba Sing Se city limits.

"Hello? Are you looking for me?" A quiet voice came from the room. "I'm Ona, if you're interested in the animal rights demonstration tomorrow."

"Yeah, I think it's her room, Sokka," Toph hissed. "Mind if we come in?"

"Ano sent you, didn't she? People are always getting us mixed up, even though an idiot could tell I'm the one missing a leg," Ona muttered from her room. Everyone looked at each other, slightly disturbed. A loud laugh shocked them back to their senses. "That's…five more for the count. I can't believe how many people fall for that one."

Ona looked just like Ano, only pudgy instead of thin. "You're the animal science twin, right?" Sokka asked. Ona nodded.

"Yes. Why?" Aang pulled out the jade bison.

"Do you know where this bison is?" Ona took a look at the sculpture.

"Hmm…Ano made this one. Took all four weeks, and me risking expulsion for allowing her in the poor thing's pen."

"They have Appa in a pen?" Aang cried. Ona hushed the furious Avatar.

"You must the Avatar. Yeah, giant fluffy fellow with six legs, a flat tail, and arrows? My idiot of a teacher had him tied down so he wouldn't fly away. I told him that, even though I strongly appose the use of it, the sedative would have been better."

"Where is he?"

Break

Ona led them to the pen, about three miles from the university. "Here he is."

Sure enough, the flying bison was tied down in a filthy pen, and he looked more than a little hungry. "Appa!" Appa strained to look up when he heard Aang's voice, but the ropes prevented him from seeing. Instead, he moaned. "Appa, boy, what have they done to you?" Aang murmured, flying down.

"I'm not sure you're allowed to be down there; Appa is property of Ba Sing Se now," Ona said. Aang looked up at her with a glare.

"Since Appa was stolen from me in the first place, he's still my bison."

"Even though you bought him legally," Zuko interjected, "he is still the Avatar's by rights, since he was never compensated for his loss. Talk to the merchant and get your money back."

"Yeah. We're taking him with us." Ona frowned at Katara's statement, then smiled.

"Thank Bhumi you guys came. I was about ready to release him anyway. I don't care if I could have been kicked off university property. No animal should be treated like that." Ona, who was apparently an Earthbender, slipped through the earth to get to Appa. She quickly untied him; Appa licked the stout Earth Kingdom student. "No problem, big guy."

Aang checked for Appa's saddle and reins, finding them in a small cave in the side of the pen. "We'll saddle you after a good long bath, boy," he murmured.

"Yeah. You stink," called Sokka, who was promptly knocked over by Toph.

"Sorry I couldn't save you, Appa. I tried," she apologized. Appa merely grunted, his way of saying "I forgive you."

"So…how do you expect to give him a bath?" Ona asked. Aang smirked.

"The fun way."

The "fun way" included a lot of water, soap, and a soaking wet flying bison. (For a bison to be soaking wet, it took a lot of water.) It now included a sopping Zuko for added laughs.

"I don't see what's so funny about this," he muttered as Katara bent the water from them all. "I'm soaked."

"That's the funny part," Sokka explained as though Zuko was an idiot. Zuko glared at Sokka, who ignored him.

"Well, glad to know I could help you reunite with Appa here," Ona said. "I guess you'll be leaving now?"

"Not quite." Everyone spun around to see Dai Li and Long Feng standing not far away. "You see, Avatar, I have an agreement with foreign royalty, and I promised I bring you to the princess." Zuko glared at the bastard.

"Azula…" he muttered threateningly. Long Feng looked at Zuko.

"How did you know?" Zuko spat at the ground.

"'Foreign royalty'…my scar didn't mess with my brain, you idiot." This was the first time Zuko had made a comment like that about his scar; Katara turned to look at him.

"Ah, yes, the Firebender Prince in disguise. Yes, we knew you were a Firebender; you see, a bounty hunter happened to recognize you. If you wish to remain hidden, you should do something about that scar, Prince Zuko." Long Feng turned to the others. "I bet you didn't know he was the exiled Fire Prince, did you?"

"Actually…" Long Feng didn't hear the other answer, since he was frozen completely in ice. The Dai Li tried to free their boss, but Aang had entered the Avatar State by now. Glowing blue and floating, he turned to Sokka.

"Start saddling Appa! Toph, help him," he said, his voice echoing with the sound of past Avatars. The two mentioned nodded and started doing what Aang asked. "Katara, take Zuko and go get his uncle. I handle the Dai Li!"

"Gotcha Aang. Zuko, let's go." The two teens ran off at lightning speed. They wove expertly through crowds, dodged animals, and trampled cabbages.

"Sorry! We'll pay for them later!" Katara called as she and Zuko rendered the few Dai Li watching the gates between the rings unconscious. The merchant just muttered.

"Next season, I'm selling watermelons or squash. You can't trample squash." He looked over at a fellow merchant, who happened to be picking pumpkin out of her hair. "Never mind."

Zuko and Katara reached the house soon after. "Uncle! Uncle, come help pack quickly!" There was no response. "Uncle?" Katara left Zuko to go pack while he went to find Iroh.

The elderly man was sitting in the kitchen, bound and gagged. "It's the Dai Li. They're still-" Iroh was cut off with a scream from Katara. Zuko finished untying his uncle, then went to see what the Waterbender was screaming about. "Here," Iroh finished as Zuko left. He hastily began loading anything important foods and such into weatherproof bags.

Zuko headed straight for the origin of the scream. Katara was shooting ice blades at two Dai Li. "Zuko, a little help here!" One of the Dai Li took her arms and pinned them.

"I don't think so…," he muttered, twisting her arms. Everyone winced when they heard a faint _crack!_ Katara started crying.

Zuko kicked the one holding her; he fell to the ground and released Katara. The other Dai Li was able to toss Zuko before he could be taken out. "Agh!"

Katara used her other arm and formed ice daggers again. Before, she had not been aiming to seriously harm, but the pain in her arm was overriding her inane mercifulness. She threw the dagger hard, aiming for the groin.

The man fell, moaning in obvious pain. Zuko grabbed Katara's good hand. "You okay?" Katara gasped in pain as Zuko inspected her arm.

"I think my arm is broken," she panted. "C'mon, we need to get our stuff."

"Done." Iroh came out carrying everything. He had somehow managed to cram everything into four packs. "Are you okay, Miss Katara?"

"Dai Li got her. We shouldn't be standing around here, waiting for more to come," he said. He took three of the packs.

"Zuko, I can carry one," Katara started to say, but Zuko cut her off.

"Not with a possibly broken arm you can't. I know the way my uncle packs; these bags are heavy. Let's go." Iroh and Katara followed after the former prince.

By now, people knew what was going on. Some helped them to go fast, others hindered them. One or two people mentioned how they had been living in fear of the Dai Li for too long and they were "gonna give those maniacs what they have comin' to 'em."

About halfway to where the others had been left, Katara collapsed with a cry of pain. "My leg!" Zuko stopped and leaned down to check on her.

"It's broken." Grunting, he adjusted the packs and lifted Katara up bridal style. _I went from fugitive to tea server to house servant to escort and back to fugitive in less than a month_, he thought. _Now I'm carrying a wounded Waterbender._

Katara took the packs. "Might as well make myself useful," she muttered. Zuko nodded and motioned for his uncle to hurry up. Iroh, despite being old and out of shape, was able to keep up with his young nephew.

Suddenly, a huge Dai Li came out of nowhere. Iroh stopped and sent a large fireball at him, followed by a lightning blast before continuing on.

"Is he after us?" Zuko asked.

"I'm not lookin'," Iroh replied. Katara looked over Zuko's shoulder.

"I don't see him, but that doesn't mean we've lost him. How much farther?" A small explosion about a mile away answered her question. "Never mind."

The three arrived at Appa's pen shortly afterwards. The remaining Dai Li men had been either drowned or caught up in a swirling vortex. A few had had their limbs crushed beneath rocks before they could bend them, and those lay moaning in agony.

Aang had calmed down a bit by now and ran to meet Zuko, Katara, and Iroh. "What happened?"

"Dai Li got her in the house, then one must have used Earthbending to cause Katara to fall and break a leg. Her arm might be broken," Zuko explained hastily. He looked down; Katara must have passed out from pain.

Aang nodded and called for Appa. Momo, who had followed the three others from the house, came soaring in. A pack of pygmy pumas began circle the group, seemingly protecting them. Appa groaned as he stretched his sore leg muscles, but was ready to fly. Sokka was at the reins and Toph was in the saddle.

"Hurry!" Sokka called. Aang bent Iroh up, then Zuko and Katara, then himself.

"C'mon buddy, we're outta here." Appa groaned in agreement and took off, leaving Ba Sing Se in a citywide coup.

* * *

(In case you don't know, coup is pronounced "coo". For years I thought it was "coop"...)

Let me know if this seems a little rushed. Oh, and Ona ran off like a little girl who can't tie her shoes (no offense meant to readers with toddlers, be they sibling, cousin, or child).


	7. Broken Bones and Bags of Beef

FYI, this is now offically AU. Was with the last chapter. Oh well.

* * *

The only thing Katara remembered upon waking up was extreme pain in her arm and leg. "Ow!"

Everyone turned suddenly. "Nice to see you're awake," Aang said, sitting nearby. Sokka was at the reins still. "How y'feeling?"

"Like a rhino just did a jig on my bones," Katara answered truthfully. "Are they set?"

"Not yet. We were going to wait to see if you can water-heal them first," informed Aang. Katara shook her head. "Well, then, does anyone have anything to knock her out?" asked the young monk.

"A rock."

"A hit in the head."

"Good tea."

Zuko rolled his eyes as he pulled out a small bottle. Uncorking it, he waved it under Katara's nose. The young Waterbender instantly fell asleep. "There. Does anyone know field surgery?" Iroh nodded.

"I need some strong sticks, and bandages." Aang looked at Momo, who flew off to find the required sticks. Aang began digging through the stuff Iroh had packed to find something to use as bandages. He came up with only a torn cape and Sokka's old belt that had snapped.

"That will have to do," Iroh muttered. "Now we just need for the little lemur to return." Momo poked Iroh in the head with a stick. "Thank you." He nodded to Momo, who chirped in response. Gently, Iroh began to set Katara's leg and arm. It took about an hour, during which Zuko had to wave the vial of whatever under Katara's nose once or twice more.

"What is that stuff?" Toph asked when she caught a whiff of it.

"Some special herbs mixed with, sad to say, jasmine tea," Zuko replied.

"I wondered what happened to my jasmine tea all those weeks ago," Iroh muttered. "At least it's getting some use."

Sokka turned to face the others. "Where are we gonna go? I honestly don't think we can head back to Ba Sing Se, and Omashu is kinda...occupied."

"And as far as my parents are concerned," Toph added, "they probably think I'm dead or crippled or worse."

"What's worse than being dead or crippled?" Aang asked.

"Getting pregnant. I heard them talking one day. Most noble families marry their kids off, right? Well, Mom and Dad weren't going to marry me to anyone. Didn't want to risk having 'poor, defenseless grandchildren and a daughter who had been set aside because of her weaknesses'." Toph spat. "Hmph."

Aang smiled sadly. "Their loss." He looked over the side of Appa, Momo sitting on his shoulder. "Head for the refugee docks. We can camp a ways from there and practice. Maybe we'll see Suki again. Or we can always head back to the desert."

"Docks it is," Sokka said. "How's Katara?"

"Sore." Everyone turned to the groggy Waterbender. "That stuff is potent. Mind if I use it for sleepless nights?" Zuko shrugged.

"I don't care." Iroh looked at his nephew, then leaned over Katara.

"Do you have any water?" Katara nodded and fumbled for her flask. "Try freezing it into ice to help numb any pain." Katara did and wrapped the ice in a thin blanket.

"Someone tell me when it's been long enough to take the ice off," she said, trying to get comfortable. "Where are we off to?"

"The area around the refugee docks, or maybe even that oasis by the Serpent's Pass," Aang replied. "Maybe we'll find Suki or someone." Katara nodded.

"I think that's a good idea. We need another vacation after _that _little schpeel." Zuko frowned at the curious word.

"Schpeel? What on earth is a schpeel?" Katara giggled at Zuko's face.

"It's my word for a disaster, or a mess, or when Sokka tries to do something semi-intelligent," she explained.

"Hey!"

"I said 'semi-intelligent'. When you do intelligent things, then there's no problem. When you do something stupid, then it's just chaotic. When you don't do anything at all, it's perfectly fine. It's when you don't think everything out that we have problems," elaborated Katara.

"Huh?"

"Is he always this articulate?" Zuko muttered. Katara rolled her eyes.

"Only when I outsmart him," she mouthed. "So pretty much, yeah."

"I think the ice has set long enough, Miss Katara," Iroh said, interrupting what could have become a fight if Sokka thought about what Zuko had said hard enough. Katara nodded and melted the ice, bending the water back into her flask with her good arm.

"How long do you think I'll be laid up?" she asked. Iroh paused, doing some quick mathematics.

"Given the fact you're flying on a bison, in a crowded saddle, in rough environment, with frequent stops," Iroh mused, "I would say roughly a month before you could use both broken limbs well enough to move, and another two or three weeks after that before bending would be okay."

"That means you should be better in plenty of time for that solar eclipse," Aang remarked happily. Zuko's good eye widened and Iroh started muttering what sounded suspiciously like a prayer. "What I say?"'

"Solar eclipses are like the apocalypse for Firebenders," Zuko explained. "It's like lunar eclipses are bad for Waterbenders. I remember the North Pole incident."

"The only reason it affected us as much as it did was because that jerk, Zhao, killed the moon spirit. When the moon kinda dies, so does the bending," Katara quipped. "But, I see your point."

"Legend has it that the first solar eclipse came when La became jealous of the amount of time Agni had in the sky during the day and decided to shorten it by covering him up. Agni got revenge on La by causing the first lunar eclipse," Iroh explained.

"I know this is gonna sound funny," Aang said, "but I think I remember getting them to stop. At least, a past life getting them to stop fighting. I think they agreed to stop the fight only if there was something they could share in the sky at all times."

"The stars and the clouds," agreed the elderly Firebender. "The clouds can cover up the sun but still let it shine and the stars are little suns at night."

"Personally, I'm not remotely into that spirit-y stuff," Toph remarked. "Okay, obviously I'll go with the Avatar and that junk, but about everything else being controlled by a spirit? Puh-leeze." Aang grinned at Sokka.

"She sounds like you did before…you know, Yue." Sokka looked downcast for a moment, then smiled a small smile.

"Only she doesn't like science."

"I like things that give evidence of change _now!_" With that, Toph slammed her fist on Appa's saddle. "Science is too slow for me. Besides, it's all metal and dangerous." This particular conversation kept going for several hours until Sokka pulled Appa down to camp.

"Okay, do we have dried meat?" Sokka asked. Aang held up five bags full. "Do we have any form of vegetables or do any grow nearby?"

"I can feel some wild carrots, wild potatoes, and beans growing about half a mile from here," Toph informed him. "And we have plenty in the bags too."

"Good. Someone get a pot, fill it with water, and get back here. Aang?"

"Gotcha." The young Avatar grabbed one of the pots and went off to find some water.

"Could one of you two get a fire started if I get wood?" Sokka turned to the two Firebenders.

"Of course." Sokka nodded and left to get said wood. Toph decided to go with him, leaving Katara, who was still on Appa, alone with Zuko and Iroh.

"What does your brother have in mind?" Zuko asked Katara. He felt most comfortable talking to her, not to the others, for some reason.

"Oh, he does this occasionally. You wouldn't know it, but he's a good cook. He'll probably throw the meat into the pot with water and vegetables and make some sort of stew or something. I wonder if we have any spices left from Ba Sing Se."

"I packed as many cooking supplies as I could," Iroh said. Katara smiled; no more bland soups or tasteless rice, thanks to Iroh.

Sure enough, that was precisely what Sokka did. He let the meat tenderize in the pot for a while, then started actually cooking. "And you say cooking's a girl's job," his baby sister teased. Sokka stuck his tongue out at her.

"And I thought being a pain was a brother's job," he retorted. Katara returned his childish act, not noticing Zuko looking at them with a sort of confusion written on his face.

_How can siblings act that way towards each other? How can they get along? _he asked himself.

* * *

Grr...tell me whatcha think. Personally, it's too filler, but pfft. 


	8. Just a Spoonful of Sugar

Damn writer's block!!

* * *

It was decided that Katara would stay on Appa at all times, in case of attack late at night or the need to run. Someone would share Appa's saddle with her, alternating each night. The only problem was deciding who was going to get first night.

Everyone wanted to sleep in the saddle; it was twice as comfortable as the rock hard ground. Even Toph admitted that. So, they drew sticks.

"What? Why should that Firebender get the saddle? He hasn't traveled _half _as much as we have!" Sokka exclaimed as Aang helped Zuko throw together two extra sleeping mats.

"Show's how much you know," Zuko muttered darkly.

"I'm not talking about pampered ship traveling!" Sokka retorted.

"Neither am I! Did I look pampered back at that deserted village? Did I look comfortable when my uncle and I arrived at that house?" Zuko replied.

"I think it's best if we just hush now," Iroh said carefully. "We would not want any unwanted visitors tonight." Zuko and Sokka glared at each other, but nodded in response. Sokka took his sleeping bag and lay down near the remains of the fire while Zuko climbed aboard Appa.

"Sorry for Sokka's mouth," Katara said upon seeing him. "It was always getting him into trouble back home with Dad."

"He should learn not to assume things about people, especially those he hardly knows," Zuko spat. Katara frowned slightly, but nodded.

"That's Sokka. He doesn't like to change; it took him forever to adjust to Aang and me." For some reason, that remark hit Zuko.

"Are you and the Avatar…?" Katara paused, then gasped.

"Oh, no! He never knew any bender other than me before Aang returned. It took a little time before he adjusted to being in the minority. And when Toph joined up, she completely disregarded him as a fighter for a while. Then he saved her when that spear was heading for her and she couldn't see it."

"How does she see in the first place? Her eyes are covered with a cataract."

"A what?"

"A lens that covers the eyes, leaving most people blind. How can…Toph see?" Zuko asked again.

"Oh, she uses Earthbending to see with the earth, like wolf-bats use echoes to see the object in their way," explained Katara. "It's kinda difficult to explain unless you're Toph." She paused. "So her blindness is a medical condition or something?"

"Some people say that's it a curse, but I've never held much to Spirits," Zuko said. Katara frowned. That really didn't answer her question, but she wasn't going to push the matter. She was too tired.

"G'night."

* * *

Zuko woke up long before everyone else. Slowly, he checked that Katara was okay, then climbed down from Appa. He made sure everyone was still asleep, then headed off to a secluded area nearby. Meditation was long overdue.

He found a small area of trees not far off. After pulling small branches and piling them, Zuko lit them on fire. _Finally._ The former prince sat down and began to manipulate the flames using his breath.

_In. Out. In. Out. Slowly, not too fast, or you'll burn down these trees. _Dimly, Zuko registered that the stupid lemur of the Avatar had followed him. He opened his eyes.

Momo had a sugar-baked apple in his hand, meaning someone was up…and torturing Zuko with the smell of his favorite baked fruit, probably his uncle. Zuko stood and went back to camp, promising to give the worst death glare he could to Iroh.

He couldn't exactly hold to that promise when he saw the young Avatar making the apples. "Oh, there you are, Zuko. Iroh! You were right."

The elderly general laughed. "Of course I'm right. No one knows my nephew as well as I do."

"Uncle, care to explain the sugar-baked apples?" Zuko asked, ignoring his previous comment.

"Oh, Miss Katara woke up shortly before I did. With nothing else to do, we began to talk about foods and such. She mentioned her favorite fruit was an apple and, when she could, she made sugar-baked apples. That reminded me it was your favorite as well," explained Iroh.

"And where does the Avatar come in?"

"Young Aang woke up during our conversation and decided, instead of just talking, he was going to make them. Master of all four elements and an accomplished cook; you'll make a young lady very happy one day, young Avatar." Aang blushed furiously and mumbled something about he's only just thirteen and girls still seemed a little foreign to him.

Zuko rolled his eyes. He dimly recalled that, even now, he was skeptical around young attractive women. Azula fell into that category, so his skepticism was acceptable.

Katara giggled at the reaction from Zuko. "Are you telling me you're a lady's man?" she asked. Iroh looked at her wide-eyed.

"Spirits, no! I go through a lot of trouble setting him up on a date and what does he do? He runs away when the girl tries to kiss him, saying 'it's complicated'! Hmph." Zuko glared at Iroh.

"All you did was tell the girl I was going when I had no desire to! She wasn't even good-looking, not to mention what would have happened had she found out who I was!" Zuko retorted.

Katara smiled kindly. "Oh, I'm sure this girl wouldn't have run off screaming."

Zuko huffed. "I highly doubt that."

Toph laughed, then turned to Aang, sightlessly. "Whaddya want to do now? Wake up Sleeping Beauty over there or what?" Aang smirked in a way not expected with a monk. He grabbed a sugared apple.

* * *

"I'd like to go now."

"We're not going anywhere until this stupid sugary goop is out of my hair! Who put Aang up to it?"

"Not me."

"I'm stuck up here with a broken leg and arm. I can't put anyone up to anything."

"As much as I wish I could, I cannot claim this prank as my idea."

Sokka turned to Zuko.

"Even suggest it and I'll introduce fried Water Tribe warrior to the pumas in the Burning Mountains," Zuko threatened. "It's not my fault the world's only hope is a thirteen-year-old with a weird sense of humor."

"Hey, at least I have a sense of humor," Aang quipped. "I don't think I've ever seen you laugh or smile. And hanging around me, that means something's wrong."

"It's impossible not to be entertained around Sleeping Beauty and Twinkle Toes," agreed Toph. Zuko turned away.

"I don't laugh." With that, he began to pack up.

"What's up with him?" Sokka muttered. Iroh merely shook his head.

* * *

Grr...damn writer's block was the reason it took so long to get the freakin' chapter out, and it's a short one at that. Grr, sorry. 


	9. Sokka and Suki: Subtle like Appa

Longer chapter, shorter update period. Weird.

* * *

A week later and the group was camped outside the manmade cave where Zuko and Iroh had parted ways. "This is a good spot to camp for awhile," Iroh said. "I did for three days before I left to track my nephew."

Everyone agreed and set up camp in the cave. The second Toph hit the ground, she paused. "There's someone here."

"Who?" Sokka pulled out his boomerang and fell into a fighting stance. Zuko followed suit.

"They're injured. I think I've met her before."

"Her? How can you tell?" Aang flew next to his Earthbending teacher.

"Each person leaves a mark on the earth, each one unique. This one feels familiar." Sokka sheathed his boomerang.

"Where is she?"

"About five yards away from where Appa is." Sokka ran off, looking around furtively.

"Suki!" Aang ran off to help Sokka when he heard that. "What happened to you?"

Suki's faint voice could be heard. "I was with the other Kyoshi Warriors when this freaky Firebender came and started attacking us. She got the rest of us, but they thought I was dead; I was just unconcious. I crawled over there and waited for someone to come."

Sokka came back with Suki in his arms; Aang carried her fans and shield. "Someone get me a blanket! Katara, I know you're hurt, but can you…?" Katara nodded.

"I'll try. Someone get me down from here. And please, do it the convential way."

"The what?"

"Don't Airbend me down from here, 'k?" Aang nodded.

"Appa, down boy." Appa lay flat. "Who's strong enough to carry her down from there?"

"Probably that guy." Toph nodded her head in Zuko's general direction. "Sokka's hands are full at the moment."

For the first time in his live (but certainly not the last), Sokka looked at Zuko pleadingly. "Will you get Katara down?" Zuko looked at Sokka, then at the fallen warrior. Dimly, he recalled a day when he had fought against her, and several dressed like her. It would be a shame to let her die.

Silently, he climbed up Appa and slipped his arms underneath Katara. She gasped as she nearly fell from his arms. "I've got you," he murmured. "I'm not about to let you fall."

"Yeah. Sokka would kill you," Katara teased softly. _Okay…do butterflies in your stomach come with broken bones or am I just crazy?_

She grunted as Zuko set her down on a mat in the cave. "Bring Suki over here." Sokka came in and set the badly beat-up warrior next to Katara. "Water," Katara commanded. Sokka ran and grabbed a flask. Katara uncorked it and began to heal Suki as best she could.

Zuko watched in amazement as Suki's wounds vanished. If he had known she could do this…maybe Iroh would have healed a lot faster when Azula had attacked him.

Suki looked at Katara when she was done. "Since when could you do this?"

"Since we ran into some Fire Nation deserters. Apparently it's a Waterbender thing, and only woman Waterbenders can do it." Katara stopped momentarily. Suki noticed.

"I'm fine now, just sore, and there's a few minor scratches, but nothing life-threatening. Thanks Katara." Sokka nodded his appreciation to his sister, then instantly started reprimanding Suki.

"You're staying with us from now on. I don't want to risk you getting hurt and me not being around to help you. What if you die? I wouldn't be able to live with it." Toph gagged.

"If you two are going to get a romantic, let the rest of us get out first. C'mon, Twinkle Toes. Let's go practice Earthbending, then Iroh can start you're Firebending lessons."

Suki covered her sweetheart's mouth for a moment (not that it stopped him). "You guys found a Firebending teacher?"

"Yeah. His uncle." Aang pointed at Zuko; Suki looked at the former prince as if seeing him for the first time.

"Isn't that the guy who…?" Suki asked. Katara nodded.

"Yeah, it's him, but he's on our side right now. Now, we'll leave you two to your conversation. Zuko, would you be so kind as to get me out of here?" Zuko nodded and lifted Katara up.

"Is he like this a lot?" he muttered curiously.

"Only when he's serious about a girl. You should have seen him at the North Pole," Katara muttered back. Zuko shook his head.

It was decided that Suki would stay with the Gaang, and they'd stay there for a few days to rest and get in some practice. Iroh advised it; it would do Katara's healing bones some good, and Suki would be able to get some rest after her fight with Azula. First thing Suki did was to wash off her make-up and change into a spare dress of Katara's, which was luckily green.

"Question, which one of you changed weight?" Sokka teased. "Either Suki lost weight or Sis gained it. You were two different sizes last time I checked."

"What would you know about my waist size, Sokka?" Suki asked.

"And are you calling me fat?" accused his sister. Sokka gulped and pulled at his collar.

"I'm…gonna go get some more firewood. Be back in a second!" He dashed off faster than Aang on chi-enhancing tea. Suki and Katara looked at each other and cracked up.

Break

It was late that night, and everyone was asleep. Everyone but Zuko, that is.

Zuko was still up, sitting near the dying embers of the campfire. Aang was sleeping on Appa's head, Momo was sleeping on Aang's head, and Toph was in her earth tent. His uncle was sound asleep next to Appa, snoring loud enough to wake the dead. Sokka and Suki were sharing a sleeping mat about three yards back into the cave, and Sokka had his arm around Suki's waist. Katara was the only one near the campfire. She was nestled on more cushioning than Zuko had ever seen on one bed. Not even his father used that many pillows.

The teenaged Firebender watched as Katara rolled over on the sleeping mat enhanced with two sleeping bags and several cloaks as pillows. Almost everyone had given a blanket (or wads of bison fur sewn into pillows) so Katara's leg and arm were comfortable. Zuko, on the other hand, hadn't. Now, he was feeling a little guilty.

Katara may have been cushioned, but it was chilly at night in this part of the world, so she was shivering. _Idiots, not leaving a blanket for her to keep warm. _Zuko sighed and stood, looking around for his pack.

There it was. It was by the rest of the unused luggage. Zuko picked it up and dug around for that spare blanket he knew he had. When he found it, he paused before grabbing it.

_Why on earth am I doing this for her?_

_Well, she did get you away from Sokka._

_Yeah, but she told me to jump in a river!_

_When you had her tied to a tree with hormones running through every man who had ever slept with a woman there! And you were out to capture her best friend! Of _course _she told you to jump in the river!_

Shaking his head, Zuko pulled out the spare blanket and walked over to Katara. He unceremoniously covered the Waterbender with it, feeling a small amount of satisfaction when she stopped shivering.

"Mmm…" Zuko started. Was she awake? Katara grabbed at the blanket. "Thanks, Zuko," she mumbled groggily.

"Um…you're welcome," he stammered. Katara smiled, eyes half-closed. Zuko waited a few minutes, then realized she had fallen back asleep. With a sigh of relief, Zuko decided to follow suit.

* * *

Happy Halloween! (since I probably won't update between then and now.) 


	10. Hairspray!

Grr...If this keeps up, then you guys have permission to throw virtual "UPDATE! UPDATE!" messages tied to pillows at me. (Won't hurt, but it will get annoying.)

* * *

Katara woke up. When she felt the weight of a blanket on her body, she knew that last night had not been a dream. Zuko _had _given her a blanket when she was shivering. That was something you didn't expect to see every day. Or be at the receiving end of.

Katara looked around, snickering when she saw Sokka and Suki. The spot her little nest was had the best view of the entire cave. She could see Aang, Toph's tent, Iroh…and Zuko.

Said Firebender was sleeping where he had sat down last night, on the other side of the burned out fire. He rested against the pile of rocks Aang and Toph had made with Earthbending, setting his head on his chest. Katara giggled softly when she heard a slight snore coming from the Fire Prince.

"Sinuses," she whispered.

Katara waited for someone else to wake up. Finally, Toph's tent collapsed back into the ground.

"Morning, Toph."

"Whatever." She paused. "Is that Scarface?" Katara giggled in response. "Sounds like Snoozles when he's not sleeping with Suki."

"You know, Suki is the only one you haven't given a nickname to," Katara pointed out. Toph held up a finger.

"Actually, she's Sokka's Fan Girl, both because she uses fans and because she's madly in love with the loser."

Katara laughed. "This coming from the girl who has a crush on my brother!"

"Hey, I had a crush on him, but then he and Suki started making out and it just went pfft." Toph stuck her tongue out for emphasis. "That can seriously ruin it."

"What can seriously ruin what?" Aang's groggy little voice piped up from Appa. Momo mewed.

"Seeing or hearing your crush kiss someone else," Katara replied. "It can ruin your crush."

"Yeah, that would do it." Aang got up, Appa fur stuck all to his face where he had drooled. Katara giggled. Aang blushed and wiped it off. "What's for breakfast?"

"Ask someone else to cook. I plan on taking full advantage of my injury and play Sokka," Katara said, getting comfortable.

"Meaning...?"

"Meaning I'm going to be very lazy for awhile, especially since my mini-vacation went up the creek," explained the Waterbender. "Besides, you've practically got Waterbending down. You can spend this time learning Firebending and working on Earthbending. And maybe you can learn other useful skills, like cooking and cleaning and _laundry._" Katara said that word slowly, trying to get a point across.

"I get it, I get it. I thought it was bad enough that I had to learn all four elements before that stupid eclipse; now I'm learning domestic skills!" Katara and Toph broke out into uproarious laughter.

* * *

"Breath in, out. In, out." Aang nodded and repeated what Iroh had told him to repeat for the tenth time.

Zuko was sitting nearby, listening to his uncle repeat the age-old mantra. He (Zuko) knew that he had been known to mutter that in his sleep. He watched the young Avatar as he went through the pre-warm up stages Zuko loathed with a passion that rivaled Sokka's when food was around. How could Aang go through those stages so eagerly?

The new girl's voice distracted him. "Hey, Zuko, could you hand me my fans?" The young Firebender nodded and tossed the surprisingly dangerous fans to the Earth girl. "Thanks. I'm going to see if a smith somewhere can make copies of these so I can give a set to Aang."

"Fans?" Zuko couldn't hide his slight snort of disbelief. "I never understood those fans."

Suki stood with her hands on her hips. "These fans were first used by Avatar Kyoshi, the largest Avatar yet."

"I'll say! Her boots could fit Appa!" Aang called.

"She wasn't that big, Aang. Anyway, all the warriors on Kyoshi Islands, all girls, use the fans. They're actually quite deadly. And if they don't work, we have our swords," Suki explained. "And do you want a haircut?"

Zuko looked at her as if she had grown three heads. "What?"

"Your hair is shaggier than Appa's fur and Momo's combined, and it's bugging me. I can give you a haircut; at least neaten you up a bit."

Zuko was rendered speechless by Suki's proposal. He knew he needed a haircut if he wasn't to tie his hair back into a topknot again, but the thought of letting someone professionally (he hoped) cut his hair just made him nervous.

"At least let me trim it so you can tie it back in something similar to Sokka's…whatever he has." Suki looked down at the slumbering warrior. "Or let me give you a comb!"

"Someone has obsessive neatness," Toph muttered. She reached into her bag and pulled out a comb. "There. Scarface, I have a funny feeling that Fan Girl over here won't shut up until you do something about your hair. Do us all a favor and fix it." Zuko took the comb and, rolling his eyes, he began to attempt to tame his now-wild hair.

_Where's some oil when you need it? Before…all this, it wasn't so hard to fix,_ he thought resentfully. Surprisingly, with a little work, his hair went back to a neatened state. Katara gave him one of Sokka's hair ties (her brother was the only guy she knew that spent more money on hair stuff than a girl) and Zuko tied his hair back, a knot at the base of his neck rather than on top of his head. When he was done, Katara thought he was very good looking. Not that she'd admit it to anyone except herself and maybe Momo.

"There. Now I won't be bugging you to fix it!" Iroh called from his position, helping Aang get into the right position to feel the sun. "He wouldn't even let the barbers at Ba Sing Se fix his hair."

Zuko glared at his uncle. There were times he wished his uncle had lost his voice during the influenza outbreak when Zuko was ten. He had come so close…

"Hey, who's the new guy?" Sokka's groggy voice came from his sleeping bag. "And where's Zuko?" Katara and Suki laughed.

"Sokka, that _is_ Zuko. Suki asked him to fix his hair," Katara said.

"I hate messes. They drive me nuts. The girls were always teasing me for it back home," sighed the warrior. "They'd purposely leave a mess when they were done training and we had nothing to do."

Sokka nodded. "Reminds me of Katara and her superstitions."

"That's perfectly normal!"

"Yeah, as long as they don't take it overboard!" Sokka pointed out.

"I do not!"

"Sis, every time you spill salt, you pinch it and throw it over your right shoulder. Every time! Do you know how often I get an eyeful of salt?" Katara rolled her eyes.

"So I'm superstitious! So is about half the world. Have you ever seen a town where people breathe when passing a graveyard?" Katara asked. "I've counted. Every town does something superstitious, especially Aunt Wu's."

Sokka groaned. "Let's not get into_ that_ again, Katara."

The Water Tribe siblings spent a good hour arguing about that topic, providing entertainment to everyone when Aang had finished his training.


	11. Great Sticky Balls of Fire!

I'm sorry, again. Life sucks and has gotten busy. (But I'll be getting my own room out of it, so that's good.)

* * *

It was about three days later that the Gaang plus three left the campsite. Katara's broken limbs were healing nicely. Iroh guessed it about two weeks more before she would be able to safely try walking.

"Finally. Aang's cooking isn't the best," Sokka complained. Aang stuck his tongue out at Sokka.

"Then why do you eat the most?" he asked.

"I can't help the way I am," Sokka shrugged. "I like food."

"A lot of food," Zuko muttered. "I've seen komodo rhinos that eat less than he does."

"I heard that!"

"So?"

Aang decided to break up the fight before it got started. "Maybe we'll just let Suki cook." That seemed to settle the matter. The two boys settled down and ignored the other like they had been.

"Hey Katara, got any stories from the Water Tribe?" Toph asked. "Like anything about Sokka being stupid?"

"Actually, there was that time he got two fishhooks stuck in his thumb…" Katara began.

"Oh, no." Sokka covered his sister's mouth. "You're_ not_ regaling _that_ one." Katara rolled her eyes and bit her brother's hand. "OW!"

"How do you get two fishhooks stuck in your thumb?" Zuko asked softly.

"He tried to get the first one out with another one. Gran-Gran had to give him sleeping potions and get them out the hard way," she explained.

"The hard way?" Katara nodded.

"She had to pry them out with a slightly larger fishbone sewing needle that had been dulled. It good thirty minutes to get the hooks out." The young Waterbender laughed. "Sokka was milking the pain for weeks afterwards."

* * *

The group had decided to continue on at night, so everyone was spread out on Appa's saddle, save for Aang, who was sleeping on the bison's head. Katara's little "nest" was huddled near the back of the saddle. Toph was using part of it as a pillow, and, surprisingly, so was Zuko. 

The said Firebender had unconsciously moved his head up near Katara's hand, and Katara's hand was resting on Zuko's head. Momo, still awake, cocked his head. Was this allowed? He didn't think the Screaming-Hungry-Human would approve, and Aang mightn't either. But Katara was nice to Momo, and so was the Human-With-The-Funny-Eye; the lemur didn't care as long as the Screaming Human was asleep.

Unable to get to sleep, Momo started digging through Katara's things. (Actually, he was just rummaging randomly, but Katara's bag happened to be closer.) He found the white silk handbag and opened it.

Out poured a few trinkets from Ba Sing Se; a dragonfly hairpin Katara had gotten from the spa (didn't taste too good), a shell from the banks of a river (pretty, but not edible), a golden ribbon for someone's hair (shiny), and a little carving of something that looked like those two tasty fish back in that place with the ice and snow and a glowing Aang (not tasty rock, though). Sighing, Momo returned everything. Everything except the yin yang carving. That he tossed around until it hit Katara in the head.

"Huh?" Looking around, she saw the rock and Momo. "Oh, Momo. Stay out of my bag, okay? Sokka doesn't know about it and I want it to stay that way." Momo seemed to nod. He took the rock back, starting playing with it...

And threw it at Zuko's head.

The Firebender started awake. "I'm going to cook that lemur," he muttered, temper flaring. He felt Katara wince behind him. "What? Oh. Are you okay?" Zuko turned and noticed Katara tenderly touching her arm.

"I think something's wrong with my arm. It feels…funny, as in different."

"Let me check." Zuko gently took the broken arm and checked for any more breaks (he had been trained in basic field first aid). "Nothing's wrong with your arm."

"Every time I try to move it, it feels different. Sometimes I can't move it at all," Katara insisted. "My leg feels the same way."

"It might be because you haven't used the limbs in so long," Zuko replied. "Just carefully move them around, but not too much."

"Since when have you known about broken bones?" Katara asked curiously.

"Basic field training required a proficiency in first aid." Zuko looked at the sky. "Stupid lemur. It's not daylight yet. I'm going to attempt to sleep." That reminded Katara.

"Who's Ursa? And who's Azula?" Zuko stopped.

"Where did you hear those names?" he growled. Katara looked at him.

"You talk in your sleep. You've mentioned Ursa, like she was important to you, and you've said 'Azula always lies' a lot. Didn't Long Feng mention her?

"Azula is my sister, and she's the youngest person to ever bend blue fire and lightning," Zuko explained.

"Oooh…so she's that wench who took a cheap shot at Iroh." Katara muttered something that sounded rather…obscene. "Who's Ursa?"

Zuko looked away. "My mother." The way he said that, it was obvious something had happened to her. Nothing more was said or asked, except two words spoken by Katara.

"I'm sorry." Zuko looked at Katara. Was she being sympathetic or empathetic? Or had she lost someone close to her as well? Whatever the case, he felt oddly comforted by her. He never felt comforted by anyone, except perhaps his uncle.

Before he could stop himself, Zuko nodded. "It's okay."

* * *

Everyone else woke up a little while later. Actually, Sokka stayed asleep for at least another hour before Zuko carefully lit his pants on fire. Toph was laughing for hours. 

"I think Suki would have liked to see you without your pants on, Snoozles," she teased.

"I wear underwear!"

"Yeah, a loincloth."

"How would you know?"

"It's amazing what you pick up when you help Katara with laundry."

Suki turned to Katara. "This is an interesting conversation," she muttered.

"How do you think I feel? My brother is embarrassing me, and there's only you, Iroh, Aang, and Zuko around to be embarrassed in front of!" replied Katara. "I just want to stick his lips together with sticky sap!"

Momo flew and landed next to Sokka. There was some pale amber goop stuck to his hand. Suki laughed. "I think Momo heard you. Look."

The little lemur stuck his hand on Sokka's closed mouth, firmly sticking it shut with the sap on his hand. "Mmmmph. Mmm-m-m-m. Mnmn!" Sokka flayed about, motioning for someone to detach his lips from each other. Uproarious laughter rang out around Appa; even Zuko had a hard time keeping a straight face. Sokka pouted and started washing the sap off with Katara's flask.

Suddenly, a fireball flying overhead stopped the laughter dead. "Watch out! Fire Nation!"

"Who, Aang? Who is it?" Toph asked.

"Those girls with the giant drill," replied the Avatar. "They've got some sort of catapult!"

Iroh and Zuko shared panicked looks. "Get out of range as quickly as possible, young Avatar," Iroh said hurriedly. "That's not just a catapult. It can also shot spear-like arrows two hundred feet. The catapult itself can shoot rocks three hundred feet."

"So unless you want to be a giant flying pincushion, fly away fast," Zuko muttered. Katara looked at him, but didn't say anything.

Appa lurched. Sokka finished washing the sap off. "We've been hit!"

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Snoozles. Where were we hit?" Aang looked behind them.

"There's a nasty looking arrow in the tip of Appa's tail. I have to land soon."

"What? And get us all roasted, toasted, and served on a platter? Are you mad?!" Sokka asked.

"I said soon, not right away. Now, sit down and shut up! I have to focus on steering!" Aang yelled. Sokka looked positively and thoroughly chastised by the young monk and sat down. "Everyone, hang on to the saddle and tie yourselves down with rope or something. I might have to dodge ammo." Everyone obeyed.

Unfortunately, Katara wasn't completely tied down when Aang was forced to loop-the-loop. Gravity found her hanging on by a thread. "Katara!" Sokka tried to reach for her. "Don't let go!"

"I might not have a choice," she muttered. She started when she felt two warm, strong hands take hers and bring her back. Zuko brought her into his lap and tied her down with him.

He could feel Katara trembling uncontrollably. "I've got you. You're not going to fall again." Zuko shifted so they were more comfortable. "You are one lucky girl," he murmured. "Even if you are danger-prone."

* * *

I just looked at the calendar...six more weeks until Christmas!!!! (Sorry, I'm a Christmas-freak.) 


	12. Circle of Life and its related Debts

SQUEE! (Explantion after the chapter.)

* * *

Aang landed a few hundred miles later in a forest near to the Eastern Air Temple. Not they knew that, of course.

The second they landed, Sokka started yelling at Zuko for holding Katara in such a compromising position, at least to him. Finally, Suki slapped her "boyfriend".

"Sokka, shut up. Zuko saved Katara and you're berating him for it! Keep it up and you'll be sleeping outside, with Appa."

"Suki, we're all sleeping outside," Sokka pointed out. Toph spoke up.

"There's a cave about one mile from where we are right now. It's not quite large enough for all of us and Fuzzy," she informed him. "Enough room to keep his head dry in case of rain, but his rump on the other hand…" Toph shrugged. "You get the point."

Suki nodded. "So shut up unless you want to take the place of Appa's rump."

"Has word 'butt' fallen out of popular use in the last hundred years?" Aang asked. "No one uses 'butt' anymore." There was a moment of silence and then…

Zuko had to choke back a snort. The fact that the Avatar had used 'butt' so randomly had hit his funny bone. And for Zuko, that took a lot.

Katara, still seated in his lap on Appa, cracked up at the look on Zuko's face. That started Iroh and Sokka laughing, and Suki started when Sokka nearly tripped and fell on his boomerang. Toph was frowning in confusion until Suki's laugh, infamous on Kyoshi, hit a snort. That just started everyone laughing even harder. Even Momo fell off his perch, shaking in mirth.

"Okay, okay, okay guys," Aang gasped. "We should get to that cave. Toph, lead the way. Zuko, just stay on Appa with Katara for now. Sokka, not a word." With that, Aang went off in the direction Toph had pointed to when informing them about the cave. Toph went after him, followed by everyone else.

Katara was silent for a few minutes. "Thanks for saving me up there, Zuko," she murmured. Zuko nodded. "Could untie us now? I'm getting sore."

Zuko deftly untied the knots that kept him and Katara together. Katara shifted, wincing when she moved her broken bones. The young Firebender carefully moved her so she was nestled back in her pile of cushion, which surprisingly hadn't been blown off Appa in the flight. "Thanks, again."

"What is it with us and debts?"

"Excuse me?" Zuko looked at her.

"I owed the Avatar, and therefore you, a life-debt when he saved me from Zhao, then again when you three saved me in the North Pole. Then I save you from thugs in Ba Sing Se and just saved you from painting the ocean with your blood." Katara paused.

"I guess we're even now, right?"

"Almost. I still owe someone for saving me from Zhao, whether I help you or the Ava-Aang, or Toph," Zuko muttered. "Even that Kyoshi warrior, Suki." Katara noticed he had made a point of leaving out Sokka, but didn't press it.

"But you saved me twice."

"Only one was really a life-debt. I just saved you dishonor in Ba Sing Se." Katara nodded. She had never realized how seriously Zuko took his honor and whom he had to pay back.

The group arrived at the cave a short while later. Zuko tossed the packs down to a waiting Aang and Sokka, who set them out in respective piles; Aang's pile, Sokka's Pile, Iroh's miniature store, Toph's few belongings, Suki's spare armor, and Zuko's swords and light pack. Katara held her things and waited as Sokka and Zuko worked together (with_out_ killing each other) to get her down. Against Sokka's wishes, Zuko held her as Sokka helped Aang get the nest down.

"You really need to get over your paranoia, Bro," Katara said as she was carefully set down. "Zuko's not gonna hurt me."

"Yeah, and the day that happens in the day I'm married and you're expecting his kid. And if _that _happens, he won't be able to hurt you. He'll be dead," Sokka stated simply. Zuko rolled his eyes. He had had enough.

"Listen, just shut up. If I really wanted to hurt your sister, whom I might point out is injured at the moment, don't you think I might have by now? If I hurt anyone, it's going to be _you_." Zuko crossed his arms across his chest. "Since the day you found out my uncle and I were the ones working for you in Ba Sing Se, you've been…"

"Almost sad—sadis—sadistic, Sokka, hate to admit it," Aang piped up. "I saw how you did things to purposely annoy Zuko because he wouldn't fight back; he didn't want to risk Firebending." Katara glared at her brother, as did Suki. (In the short time she had known the reformed Prince Zuko, Suki had grown to like the prince.) Iroh busied himself getting the fire started and dinner going. Toph was relaxing, petting Momo.

Sokka seemed to shrink in size. "All right, I'll behave. Sorry, Zuko." Zuko nodded in acceptance.

"Next time, I won't be so nice. Katara will be an only child by the time I'm through with you," he threatened. Given the lighting in the cave, Zuko's scarred side stood out more than usual. Sokka gulped visibly.

"This is why I never liked you," he muttered. Momo heard that and jumped on Sokka's head. Appa swatted him gently with his tail. "Hey! Stupid bison."

_Fiery Eye is nice, you stupid human, _thought the giant bison. _Any animal can see that he's attracted to your sister. Well, with the exception of Little Peach. He still thinks Water Girl is _his_. And I am not stupid._

Unaware that the bison was thinking about her and Zuko, Katara got a little more comfortable on her nest. The warmth from the fire was intoxicating; she soon found herself dozing and dreaming about the end of the war. It was all perfect except that someone vital seemed to be missing, someone who deserved to see the end of the war as much as the next person. But Katara couldn't figure out who it was.

* * *

"Ow!"

Suki sighed as she stitched up Sokka's pants the following morning. "You're lucky I don't tell Katara that you ripped your pants and practically destroyed your shirt," she muttered. "Keep getting those elephant briars out." Sokka winced as he plucked another giant thorn from his back. (Actually, elephant briars weren't much larger than an average thorn. They just were more spread out, like an elephant's ear.) He stood on the other side of a tree, wearing nothing but his…unmentionables.

"Look, how was I supposed to know that flying rabbits really do fly? I thought it was just because of their ears!" Suki laughed softly.

"Sokka, they fly with their ears." She tossed the half-naked warrior his pants. Sokka caught them. "Here. Your shirt is ruined; someone will have to make you another one."

"Actually I have a second shirt. Katara insisted on it," explained Sokka as he dressed as best he could. "She said to save it for when we see Dad again, but I don't think she wants to see me shirtless." Suki tittered. She wasn't about to admit it, but she would have liked to.

"Well, come on, Mister "I'm-The-Best-Hunter-and-Flying-Rabbits-Don't-Really-Fly". Let's go get your spare shirt." Suki stood and brushed her pants off. Suddenly, she felt Sokka's hand on her shoulder.

"Wait, Suki. I want to talk you." Suki hoped Sokka couldn't see her blush.

"Well? Start talking." Sokka gently turned his sweetheart around to face him.

"About that night at the Serpent's Pass, before Katara helped deliver Hope…"

"Look, Sokka. It's fine. You were just having a moment," Suki interrupted. "I under-"

"No, Suki, you don't understand. After we left Kyoshi Island and got to the North Pole…I met someone. She was the princess, Yue."

"I get it Sokka. You like Yue more than me," the warrior said, feeling slightly crestfallen.

"Yes…and no. Yue died. This idiot named Zhao had killed the mortal form of the Moon Spirit, just so he could take the North Pole. Well, Yue had been touched by the Moon Spirit as a child and had some of the life force in her. She gave that back, so now she's the Moon Spirit."

Suki blinked. "Following you so far, but what does that…?" Sokka grabbed Suki's hand.

"When we went back to Kyoshi to help Aang out, I asked for you."

"You did?"

"Yeah. I was…disappointed to learn that you weren't there. I had wanted to talk to you. And then when we found you at the ferry, and don't tell Katara this, it took me almost all of my self-control not to kiss you." Suki blushed.

"Really?" Sokka nodded. "I can't begin to describe how excited I was to see you again." Suki bit her lip. "What about…that kiss? After the pass? Wouldn't Yue be upset?" Sokka looked up at the sky. It was daytime, so there was no moon, but the symbolism was enough.

"Somehow, I think she'd ask Katara to kick me in the blubber if I didn't do what I had been trying to convince her to do all along," he mused. At Suki's confused look, he elaborated. "She was engaged to some loser she hated. I was trying to convince her to cancel the marriage and go with her heart."

"Oh. But why would she ask Katara to kick your as-as-asitchoo!" Suki turned her head as she sneezed.

"Bless you." The response was automatic. Sokka handed Suki a handkerchief. (She decided against asking.) "Yue wanted to be happy, but she also had a duty," Sokka explained. "I think she wants me to be happy, and if I fulfill my duty in the process, so be it." Suki frowned.

"I don't get-" She was cut off as Sokka captured her lips with his own. _Oh._

Meanwhile, Aang and Toph were snickering from behind some bushes. "I knew it was a good idea to plant that thorn bush there, Twinkles," Toph whispered.

"Hey, it was my idea in the first place," Aang protested. "And I was the one who caused him to trip anyway!"

* * *

Explantion for squee:

Thanksgiving break is coming up, which means Christmas is coming up, which means my birthday is only two months away!

THE SEASON FINALE!!! (no explaination needed)

And did anyone else see "Fire Lord Zuko" in the episode? He looks...almost freaky without his scar. Nice, but a big "OMG". And Azula is a convinning little bitch. So are the two Gaoling dudes (whose names escape me). So...

SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! (yes, I'm on caffeine)


	13. Healing Truth

I'm getting better! My update came faster! (Course, it's Thanksgiving break...)

* * *

No one seemed to notice or care when Sokka and Suki returned. In fact, Katara merely tossed her shirtless brother a tunic and went back to her scroll. (It was one she had gotten from Ba Sing Se. All of the stories were myths and fantasies.) "About time. Aang said he saw you land in a thorn bush," she muttered. Momo chirruped and flew down next to Katara, jabbing at the pictures on the scroll. "Yes, Momo, those are lemurs just like you. Or flying monkeys, I can't tell."

Zuko watched as Momo tried to drag Katara up by her broken arm. "No, you silly lemur. That's the broken arm."

His uncle looked up from helping Aang get into the proper position for Firebending. "Actually, you could try moving the limbs now. They need to be tested for strength. Zuko, will you help her?"

The younger Firebender didn't respond; he just stood up and walked over to Katara. Carefully placing his hands under her arms, Zuko lifted Katara up. "Hold on to me," he whispered. Katara nodded and grabbed onto his shoulder. They moved to a spot that wasn't covered with bedding or bags. Katara took a cautious step forward. As she attempted to walk without assistance, Zuko stayed close behind, ready to catch her like his uncle had instructed days before when Katara first tested her healing bones.

"Catch her if she falters, or I might end up a very lonely uncle," he had warned. "Sokka would kill you."

So, every night or so, Zuko would help Katara test the strength of her legs. Sometimes she could go without his help, but usually she'd trip and nearly break another bone. Needless to say, Zuko had held Katara close to his body a lot. What's more, he secretly kinda, sorta enjoyed it.

There was something about her when she was attempting to walk again that drew Zuko to the Waterbender's presence as though she was the flame of a flickering torch and he was the weak-minded insect.

"Whoa." Katara wobbled slightly; Zuko reached out to catch her. "Thanks Zuko. I think I want to lie down for now." Zuko nodded and helped Katara back to her pile of bedroll.

"By the looks of it, you're legs will be perfectly fine within a week, maybe a week and a half," Iroh mused. "Your arm appears to be better already. Still weaker than it should be, but fine."

"Have six weeks passed by already?" Toph asked. "That was what my dad said was the healing time for broken bones."

"Actually, I think it's been almost a month. Right?" Aang asked.

"Thereabouts," Katara agreed. "I've been using my healing to sort of speed the process along. Plus I'm not Sokka. I heal a lot faster than he does, and I don't do stupid things when I'm hurt."

"Hey!"

"Truth hurts, bro."

"So…you should be up and about in a few days?" Suki asked. At Katara's nod, she sighed. "Thank Kyoshi. We are going to run away from all these boys! Even Toph is boyish!" Katara laughed at the looks on the other's faces.

"Nah. We can't leave Iroh to deal with them," she said. Suki pouted, then broke out into fits of giggles.

"Sokka, you should have seen your face!" Sokka glared at his "secret" (or so he thought) lover.

"It wasn't funny, Suki. It sounded like you don't me, er, us anymore." Suki gave Sokka a look and dragged him off. Toph and Aang cracked up when she said they were going to have a "long discussion".

"Yeah, sure. Three coppers they come back flustered and all that," Toph joked.

* * *

It was late at night when Katara woke up panting. Looking around, she relaxed.

"It was just a dream, an awful, vivid dream."

The Waterbender tried to get comfortable, but comfort and sleep were elusive. Finally, Katara gave up and just sat there, praying for daylight.

She nearly screamed when a warm hand rested on her shoulder. "Shh. It's me." Katara relaxed.

"Don't creep up on me like that again, Zuko. Okay? I nearly woke up Sokka," she whispered. Zuko nodded, then sat down beside her.

"Are you okay? I woke up to your whimpering and shifting," he murmured, genuinely concerned.

This was all new to him. He had never been concerned for anyone other than his uncle, and that had started only recently, after the North Pole. In a way, he liked the feeling of protectiveness that accompanied the concern he felt for Katara.

Katara nodded. "Just a nightmare about the day my mom died. A Fire Nation soldier killed her when I was about eight or nine, maybe ten." Katara shook slightly. She was crying.

"I miss her so much. I'm named for her, you know. My mom and my grandmother. Tara-Ke and Kana." Zuko nodded. He was named for his maternal aunt (Zuka) as far as his mother was concerned and named for Fire Prince Kuzon as far as the world was concerned.

"So you were close?"

"Inseparable. I was even there when the bastard killed her. I watched from under a snow bank about three yards away." That did it. The dam broke, leaving Zuko with a softly sobbing Southern Waterbender. Clueless as to what else to do, Zuko took Katara into his arms.

To Katara, life had never seemed as right as it did in Zuko's arms. For Zuko, he never wanted Katara to leave.

"It's okay, Katara. You know, we have something in common. My mother was killed when I was about ten." Katara looked up.

"Oh, Zuko…" Zuko shook his head.

"It's okay. I don't think about it much."

"Too painful?"

"I guess. There are a lot of times that are too painful," Zuko muttered.

"Like what?" Katara looked at Zuko, then gasped. "Your scar."

Zuko nodded, still holding Katara. "Unfortunately, I can't forget completely about it," he spat disdainfully. Katara smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry. There is a good side to this."

"Really? What?"

"At least your entire face isn't burnt," Katara pointed out. She had him there. Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Point taken, Katara," he said. Katara giggled. She felt a lot better, now that she had talked to someone.

"Thanks for, y'know, listening," she whispered. "I can't very well talk to Sokka; it'd just upset him. Toph isn't the type of person I can confide in, Aang's too young, and Suki would tell Sokka." Zuko nodded. What he said next surprised them both.

"I'm here. I'll listen."

* * *

Something else all my fellow Americans can be thankful for. Zutara fluff.

Grr...my gol-darned e-mail provider doesn't like the site right now, so I might not respond to the reviews or it might take awhile.

Happy Thanksgiving! (Only 33 more shopping days until Christmas!)


	14. Family Isn't An Illusion: His Love Is

Katara had had to take nearly three hours to explain why she was sleeping in Zuko's arms when her brother woke up the next morning. That was not a pleasant event.

"Look, is it my fault Zuko and I were talking? And I fell asleep against him? And he must have wrapped his arms around me?" The latter two were total lies. She had fallen asleep in arms, and both Zuko and Katara knew that. But Sokka didn't.

After the fight, Aang dragged Sokka along to go scouting. "Be back in a few hours, maybe tomorrow!" Aang called cheerfully.

"Yeah, if you get distracted," muttered the defeated warrior. "So see y'all tomorrow."

"Oh, cheer up Sokka. You're getting away from Zuko, aren't you?"

"After what I saw this morning…"

"GOODBYE, Sokka," Suki said, shoving her beloved after Aang. "See you when you get back." Toph sighed in relief when they were gone.

"Finally! Maybe I can get a nap without you and Snoozles causing a disturbance in the earth," she said, waving a hand at Suki. "Come on. Is kissing really that loud?"

"Toph!" Suki opened her fan and covered her face with it. "Please!" Katara laughed.

"Suki, we've been betting on how long it'd take for the news to be out in the open. Toph and I have known since Serpent's Pass and Iroh said it was obvious that there was something between you two when Sokka found you injured," she explained.

"And you can thank me and Twinkles for putting that thorn bush where it was later," Toph teased. "You have to admit, without that bush he never woulda told you he's madly in love with you."

"He never said that!"

"From what I heard…yeah, he did." Suki's face promptly turned a shade of red only found in the Fire Nation before now. She muttered something about "training" and went off, the laughter following her out.

Zuko, still sitting next to Katara, rolled his eyes. "What's the age of marriage in the Water Tribes?" he asked Katara.

"For girls, usually sixteen, maybe fifteen, depending on maturity," Katara replied. "For boys, sixteen or seventeen."

"Toph, what about the Earth Kingdom?" Toph spat in disdain.

"The arrangements are made at fourteen and the ceremony takes place a year later for girls. Guys get all the time in the world," she hissed. Katara smiled sympathetically while Zuko did a quick calculation.

"How old is Sokka?" he asked. Katara paused.

"His sixteenth birthday is in a few weeks…and Suki's his age…oh, dear…" Katara looked at Zuko. "You don't think?"

"Wouldn't surprise me if your stupid brother already has whatever it is you Water Tribe use for engagement planned," Zuko muttered.

"Hmm…so there will be a wedding to plan in the near future," Iroh mused. "Lovely!" Katara groaned and held her head in her hands.

"Oh no…"

* * *

Sokka and Aang weren't back by dinner, so none was made for them. Suki had gotten over her embarrassment; she gave Toph death glares (pointless, really) every time it was brought up. 

Zuko wasn't eating. When Katara offered him a plate of the roast bird (caught by Sokka before he had left), he merely shook his head.

"Upset stomach," was all he'd say. Katara looked worried, but nodded.

"If you say so. I'll save some for you in case you feel better," she said. Zuko waved her off.

In truth, he was feeling perfectly fine, just not hungry. For some reason, every time he looked in Katara's general direction, all he saw was her face, her form, _her_. He wanted to know why, but of course, life was never easy for him. And that was why Zuko was not eating.

As for Katara, similar thoughts were running in her head, but weren't messing with her appetite. She was just distracted. Toph had called her name three times before she responded.

"Hey, Katara. Katara? Sugar Queen!" The young Earthbender waved a hand in front of Katara's face. The Waterbender jumped.

"Oh, sorry Toph. What is it?" Toph sighed.

"You gonna finish that?" Katara looked down at her half-eaten dinner.

"Probably not. Why?" The bird was whipped out from under Katara's nose; Toph promptly started to eat it. "Growth spurt," Katara muttered. Suki giggled and nodded.

Iroh looked over at the teenagers. It had been so long since he had heard laughter that wasn't evil; he never got tired of hearing it.

Eventually, everyone turned in for the night. Everyone except Katara.

For once, _she _was the one who couldn't sleep. Zuko seemed to be sound asleep, not a stone throw away from where Katara sat. Katara sat there, watching Zuko sleep for what seemed to be hours before anything changed.

"I know you're watching me, and frankly, it's disturbing," Zuko whispered. Katara gasped.

"And how long have you been awake?" she demanded.

"About fifteen minutes. Did you get any sleep?"

"I think we switched bodies, because I can't sleep at all. I've been up all night," Katara replied. Zuko sat up, a slight frown on his face. That wasn't like Katara at all. Then again, neither was watching him sleep.

"Is it your brother?" he asked. Katara shook her head.

"Nope. We've been separated before, and he just went scouting. It's not like he's in a desert with cactus juice." Zuko paused.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Let me put it this way; when you're Fire Lord and need an escape, just call me and I'll get you some cactus juice. You'll be a loon for awhile, but it'll let you escape." Zuko shook his head.

"No, thank you," he replied. Katara giggled, then fell silent.

"Did you mean what you said yesterday? About listening if I needed to talk?" she asked. Zuko nodded. "Thank you. It's nice to know someone's there, y'know, just to talk. Even if it's the guy who spent the majority of last year chasing us and nearly fried me at the North Pole," she teased. Zuko chuckled softly. "Whoa. A laugh."

"There hasn't been much call for laughing in my life lately," Zuko murmured. Katara looked at him. "Ever since I was eleven my life has been a living nightmare." Katara reached out to touch his shoulder, but hesitated. She withdrew.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. Zuko didn't respond. "I promise I won't tell Sokka or anyone."

Would it really make a difference? If Zuko told Katara…they'd been traveling together for what seemed almost a month and a half. Something inside of him was telling him he had to tell her now, or there would be major consequences.

So he did. He started with his mother's disappearance and ended with his titles of fugitive from the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom refugee. By the end of it, Katara was witnessing what only Iroh had seen before.

Zuko was crying. He was genuinely shedding tears. They were coming fast and furious, but they were coming. It was very unlike him, and usually Zuko would have stifled the tears; something in Katara's presence just pulled all of his stuffed emotions out. Katara reached out and gently touched Zuko's scar.

"How long did it take you to realize that Ozai never has, and never will, love you?" she asked.

"I never did," Zuko replied, "that is, until now. I can't believe I've been so stupid!" Katara turned Zuko to look at her.

"No! You haven't been stupid! If I was in your place I'd've probably been hoping too! Everyone wants to be loved by a parent, especially when you only have one left! Now, believing Azula was pretty stupid, I will admit, but I can't say I blame you. You know what I would do? Forget about Ozai. You have a father figure right here. It's obvious Iroh thinks of you as his own, Zuko. Toph could see that. Well, if she paid attention to things other than Earthbending." Katara shook her head. "And you never lost your honor. Your father did when he continued this war, just like Solzen and Azulon. You are probably the first one in a long time, next to Iroh and your cousin, who are honorable enough to be called Fire Nation Princes."

Katara had never gone on this long with Zuko, and the sheer length of the rant had been cause to listen. Everything she said made sense to Zuko. Was this what Uncle meant by internal turmoil? Putting that aside, Zuko looked at Katara. Tears were forming in her eyes as well. She wiped them away with her sleeve.

"Sorry. I know you don't want pity or sympathy," she muttered. As she went to wipe more tears away, Zuko stopped her.

"No, it's okay. You've just cleared something up for me." Katara looked at him.

"What?"

"I made up this illusion made up from what I was taught and what my father wanted," he said. Katara cocked her head.

"Pretty strong for an illusion I'd say," she muttered, but nodded. "I'm glad I could help you. You're the only one I haven't been able to really help in our little family, as Aang calls it."

Zuko nodded. _Family._ He finally belonged somewhere.

* * *

(Grrr...the stupid site would't let me upload it in Word so I made a dummy Notepad, uploaded that, copied, and pasted. If this chapter looks freaky, that's why.)

Anyway, Katara now knows about the scar and Zuko's whole tragic past. It may seemed rushed, but Zuko's character is all messed up with the whole "Spiritual Crisis". We don't know what he's gonna do. (That's my reason and I'm sticking to it!)

Kudos to whoever can guess where I got the whole "I made up an illusion" schpeel. You might have to double check, since I took out a swear word and an uncharacteristic fragment in Katara's reply and tweaked Zuko's line to fit the story, but it's pretty close!


	15. Azula Strikes Back

Heh, can't blame anyone for not knowing the Illusion sequence. I'm probably the only Final Fantasy VII freak who read the game script. (That's where it's from.)

Read bottom notes after chapter.

* * *

Katara had finally fallen asleep, only to be woken up by an energetic Aang three hours later. "Guess what guess what guess what?" he asked. Then, without waiting for "Aang, go away," he went on. "The Eastern Air Temple is only a few days of bison riding away!" Katara sat up, tired but happy.

"That's great, Aang. Now, I didn't get much sleep last night, so can I get back to what little sleep I did have?" Aang blushed in embarrassment and nodded.

"Sorry, Katara. Yeah. Want me to tell Sokka to leave you alone?"

"I'll love forever and I'll dance at your wedding," she said. Aang's smile reached ear to ear. He ran off to tell Sokka, who merely nodded in Katara's general direction. Katara smiled and collapsed in pure tiredness. She soon fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Aang was happily telling everyone about the Eastern Air Temple. "You mean I'll get to sleep in an actual bed?" Suki said. "I haven't had one of those since Kyoshi!"

Toph turned to Aang. "Did you guys have bathtubs?" Aang nodded.

"The Eastern Air Temple also had this device that brought up water from a secret river below ground. The water is clean and everything. All you need to do is heat it up." Toph sighed in slight relief.

"Good. You boys stink, and I mean worse than Appa. I suppose we girls do to, but it is really noticeable on you guys." Loud protests rang out.

"I do not stink!"

"I don't think Sokka's _that _bad…"

"It's rude to say your elders stink."

"You're lucky I don't fry you right now." (Not that Zuko would. He enjoyed watching Toph tease Sokka too much.) Toph grinned evilly.

"Hey, truth hurts, boys. Now, when are we going?"

"Tomorrow, after we're all packed up. Katara said she didn't get much sleep last night, so we can wait," Sokka said. "If I find out someone kept her up, that someone is going to lose certain appendages." Zuko took a deep breath…and spun around to punch Sokka in the stomach.

"Look, I'm sick and tired of your constant insults and lack of trust. The only reason I've put up with it is because my uncle asked me not to fight and because I don't think Katara wants to lose another family member. If you insult me again, though, I will not hesitate to attack you with full force," he growled. Aang was staring open-mouthed at Zuko.

"Whoa," was all he could say. Iroh shook his head. He had known Zuko would lose it sooner or later; Sokka was lucky Zuko was honorable enough not to kill him.

Toph and Suki were looking at Sokka. Suki seemed concerned for Sokka and agitated that he had insulted Zuko again, while Toph had an "It's about time" look on her face. Suki walked over to Sokka. "Need something for the pain?" Sokka, who had landed on the ground, shook his head.

"At least it was above the belt," he gasped, winded. Suki giggled softly and helped her boyfriend up.

"Oh, they know."

"Know what?"

"About us." Sokka looked at Suki.

"Oh great. I'm never gonna hear the end of this, am I?" Toph chuckled.

"Nope! Hey, Suki, can I be in the wedding party?"

* * *

Katara woke up around lunch. "What time is it?" she asked, slightly groggy. 

"Time for lunch. Here, Miss Bed Head," Suki teased. Katara frowned and put a hand to her head.

"Ack! Anyone have a hairbrush I can use?" Toph tossed her the comb from her bag. "Thanks, Toph." Katara let what was left of her braid down and began to brush it, oblivious to the fact that Zuko was watching her out of his peripheral vision. If it wouldn't have warranted a sound thrashing from Sokka and awkward looks from everyone else, Zuko might have stared at Katara. He had never seen her hair down, and the sheer volume of it amazed him.

Katara deftly braided her hair and sat down to eat. "Thanks for telling me, Suki. Otherwise, I might have spent all day with a messed up braid. We all know Sokka wouldn't have said anything," she taunted. Sokka stuck his tongue out, then promptly began to eat.

"Stupid little sisters," he muttered. Katara smirked.

"I was put on this earth just to teach you that you have to live with people like me, related or otherwise," she said.

"That made no sense."

"Of course it wouldn't to you, Sokka."

"Hey!"

During this sibling exchange, Zuko's gaze never left Katara. Iroh noticed, of course, but said nothing. He merely nudged his partner-in-crime, who, surprisingly, was not Toph, but Suki. She could tell Katara had a crush on Zuko (girl's instinct never lies), and she had grown to like Zuko over the course of their travels (and she could tell he like Katara).

Suki looked over at Zuko. She shook her head. _Katara's _good_. She's purposely ignoring Zuko. Either that, or she's as oblivious as her brother._

Zuko finished his lunch then went off, saying he needed some time alone. No one stopped him; this was Zuko, he liked his privacy.

The teenager went off about six yards away from camp and sat down to meditate. That's what he did when he need to think things through without interruptions (which seemed to follow the group around like Momo chasing Sokka for a peach). He took a deep breath and started his thought process.

He couldn't stop staring at Katara. Katara seemed to enjoy their private moments together. Katara was, in most opinions made by typical hormonal teenagers, borderline drop-dead gorgeous and sinfully beautiful. (Of course, these opinions were made by boys in the various villages varying from ages 15 to 18 and were not completely accurate.) As far as Zuko was concerned, Katara was…Katara. No adjective could properly describe her.

To anyone listening in on his thoughts, it would have been obvious that Zuko liked Katara. But, naturally, Zuko didn't think that. He didn't know what to think.

"Well, that was a waste of time," he muttered, standing. It had taken him the better part of two hours to come to the conclusion he couldn't come to a conclusion about him and Katara. Zuko headed back to camp.

More precisely, what was left of camp. Everyone was scurrying around in a panic. Zuko stopped Toph. "What's wrong?"

"Azula's coming. I can feel those stupid lizards. She'll be here-"

"Right now." Azula's cruel voice stopped all activity. All three girls were sitting on their lizards. Ty Lee looked at Sokka, who was holding Suki's hand.

"Oh, drat! He's got a girlfriend!" Ty Lee pouted. "And he's so cute."

"Hmm, don't worry, Ty Lee. I'm sure Father will let you have him as a servant when this is over with," Azula said. "As for the others…I don't care. Girls, get them."

Before anyone could stop them, Momo jumped on Ty Lee's head and Appa knocked Mai, unconscious, to the ground. Ty Lee freaked out; she ran around, trying to get Momo off and ended up running straight into a tree. That left Azula alone.

Now, Azula was cruel and antisocial, not stupid. Nine fighters against one prodigy (Azula had no doubt that the bison and monkey would attack). It was suicide.

It wasn't as if she could take a cheap shot this time; too many people. Kidnapping and Azula didn't mix, and cold-blooded murder was Father's line of work. How to get out of here, yet leave a "present"…the explosives.

Smirking, Azula reached into her saddlebag. "Guess I'll wait for another day." She snapped and the other two lizards picked up their respective riders (the lizards were very intelligent). Azula threw the package she had taken out down and sped off.

Iroh and Zuko naturally recognized the package. "Aang, Airbend the stuff onto Appa's saddle and get everyone on Appa," Zuko muttered. "Azula left a package of explosives."

At that, everyone started scrambling about, trying to hurry. Sokka helped Suki and Toph on, jumping on after them. "C'mon!"

Katara looked at Zuko and Iroh. "We're not leaving you two behind. Iroh, we'll help you up first." Katara grabbed the old man and, with Zuko's help, pushed the Iroh up. Zuko then grabbed Katara.

"You're next. I'll fight off Azula," he said. Katara shook her head and grabbed Zuko's hand.

"Over my dead body. Zuko, we need you almost as much as we need Aang. You've become apart of this group and if you die, then I don't know what I'll-I mean what we'll do," Katara corrected. Zuko frowned slightly, but allowed himself to be pulled up alongside Katara. "Go, Aang!"

Aang snapped Appa's reins and took off not a moment too soon. The explosives went off, obliterating the small grove. Sokka held Suki tightly as Aang looked down at the area regrettably. "To the Eastern Air Temple, I guess," he muttered. The other teenaged boys nodded. There was no other place.

* * *

Good Lord, Zuko. What have you done?

I hope that season three has Zuko realize Azula's a bitch and three quarters. I won't stop supporting Zutara (she was so close!), but it's gonna take a lot of talent to write a believable Zutara after tonight.

He was _that close..._


	16. The Guru of Awkwardness

Holy cow...25 reveiws for the last chapter?!?! Okay, most of them were in response to the finale, but still. Whoa baby.

* * *

They arrived at the Air Temple a few days after. Suki was still resting in Sokka's arms, and Katara had ended up leaning against Zuko. Sokka looked as though he was about to say something, then remembered the threat Zuko had made.

Once they landed, Aang led Appa to the bison stables so he could eat and sleep. Momo went with, chattering and sniffing the air.

Everyone else split up to find rooms somewhere. Toph insisted she get a ground floor room.

"I may be up in the mountains, but I want a room closer to the ground. Two months on Appa makes a girl want a lower altitude," she said. Iroh agreed and said he needed a room that didn't require stairs.

"Hmph, old man my eye," Zuko muttered. "He runs faster than Aang when there's tea being made." Katara giggled and took Zuko's arm.

"Come on. You're going to help me find a decent room."

"Why me?"

Because Suki just dragged Sokka off to do the same thing and I've never like big places that echo," Katara replied. "Come on!"

Zuko allowed Katara to drag him off. "So, you wouldn't like the Fire Palace then, right?" he asked. Katara paused briefly.

"I might like it, if you or Iroh were Fire Lord and there were a lot of people around. I once heard it was very elaborate," she said. Zuko snorted.

"Saying it was elaborate is like saying Appa is large," he replied. Katara giggled.

"That fancy?"

"Oh, yeah." Zuko shook his head. "Even the gardens were detailed." Katara laughed harder.

"I'm sorry. You had a childhood with no freedom! No wonder you're such a stiff-necked goose-bear," she teased.

"Hmph. You had too much freedom if that's how you talk to princes," taunted Zuko.

They kept the banter up until they found a decent room. Zuko thought it would be a small room, with space for one, but it had a divider up and another bedroom on the other side. "Looks like the nuns ran out of room," Katara muttered. "Why don't you take one half and I take the other. It's a lot easier than finding another room and, don't tell anyone, but I can't sleep alone."

Zuko frowned. "Why not?" Katara blushed and looked away.

"Well, I grew up in a tiny village and a tinier tent, so I'm used to having people around me all the time. And when we're traveling, Sokka, Aang, Toph, Momo, Appa, everyone is close to everyone else. I'm used to hearing someone else breathe or just knowing someone is within whisper distance," she explained. "Call me childish or whatever you want, but-"

"No, it's fine. I'll take the half by the window, since I can keep my body temperature stable a lot better than you can; mountains get cold at night," Zuko murmured. Katara smiled softly.

"Thanks, Zuko."

* * *

"So let me get this straight. There is some skinny old tan guy in the northern wing who will be giving you _Avatar lessons?"_ Sokka asked for the fiftieth time. Aang nodded.

"Yep. Guru Pathik said he's been waiting for me and will give me lessons. I just can't have any outside contact during the teaching period," he said. "So you guys get to explore without me." The young Airbender seemed put down by that.

"Hey, don't worry. We'll find stuff to tell you about afterwards, Twinkles," Toph said, clapping Aang on the back. "Trust me, I'm the most observant person here."

"Are not," Iroh retorted from his seat.

"Hey, I may mot be able to see with my eyes, but it's hard not to see something when you send out shockwaves," Toph pointed out. Iroh folded his hands in defeat.

"Touché." Iroh went back to his dinner, fried rice for Aang and fried rice with fried pork-beef from the packs for everyone else. Sokka had added some soy sauce he had stolen from Ba Sing Se during the coup. Katara frowned.

"Sure there's enough salt in there? You'll make yourself sick," she warned. Sokka shrugged.

"Hey, I'll eat my food the way I like and you eat your food the way you like it," he replied.

"How much do you want to bet he gets sick tonight?" Toph muttered to Suki.

"I'm sharing a room _and _a bed with him, and I'm not stupid. I know he'll get sick if he eats much more of that sauce," Suki replied. "It was his idea to share a bed."

"Not that you're arguing, I noticed," taunted the young noble. Suki blushed, glad Toph couldn't see her.

Aang just picked at his rice. "The guru said this will probably be the last meal I eat with you guys until he's done with me," he moped.

"If it tastes as good as it smells, I think this food will be perfect for your Avatar training," an old, odd voice said. Everyone turned to see the Guru Pathik enter the room. His beard looked like a cloud and he was darker than Sokka or Katara. His clothes looked like he hadn't gotten new ones since the war started. Iroh stood and bowed to him. Pathik smiled and looked at Katara.

"It's nice to know that the Avatar travels with people who know their spiritual paths and take them. I cannot tell you how rare that is nowadays. I can tell you will be a good influence on Aang's spirit," he said. Katara blushed and muttered something incoherent. The guru leaned down closer and whispered in her ear: "And do not worry. Fire cannot burn you." Katara blushed a vivid shade of ruby and excused herself. The guru chuckled and turned to Aang.

"Are you all finished? The faster you train, the faster you can return." Aang sighed and stood up.

"See you guys in a few…days, hours, I don't know." Sokka nodded.

"Hey, cheer up. You're going to get to learn stuff that will help us knock the rear off the Fire Nation. Uh, no offence," he added, looking at Zuko and Iroh. Aang chuckled.

"Why don't you people say 'butt' anymore? It's always rear, rump, or tail. Geez." Everyone started cracking up, even the guru. Aang left with a smile.

Meanwhile, outside in the hallway, Katara was thinking about what the guru said. _How could he know about my crush on Zuko? Whoa, did I just say that? How could I have a crush on Zuko? Okay, so he's actually really nice, and he's understanding, and not to mention good-looking…_

_Better not let Sokka know what I just said about Zuko. Even if he's not out to hurt him anymore, he might kill him if he knew. The last thing I want is to cause the death of the only guy in the world who truly understands me and isn't a psychopath with a sick mind._

_I need help._

With those thoughts raging in Katara's mind, she absently made her way to her room only to find Zuko had beaten her to it. He was standing by the door when she noticed he was there. "How did you…?" she started

"Get here before you? There's a shortcut from the dining hall to here and you were walking so slow I think I saw a snail beat you," Zuko explained. Gently, he took her small hand in his larger one. "Are you alright? You seem a bit distracted." Katara blushed. Zuko seemed to worry about her more since that night she had cried over his story. Maybe it was just her imagination.

"I'll be fine. Something that old guy told me just kinda weirded me out," she replied. She paused. "Zuko?"

"Yes?"

Katara looked at him. In the shadowy light outside the room they shared, his golden eyes stood out more than they usually did. He seemed patiently waiting for her to speak.

"What do you think of me?" she asked.

Zuko was suddenly glad for the dim light. His face paled, making him look sick. She did not just ask him that, did she? How was he supposed to respond? "Oh, I think you're amazing to have put up with Sokka for so long, talented, compassionate, and did I mention I have a crush on you?" Yeah, real smart.

"Um…well…that's a tough question for me to answer," Zuko mumbled. "It's not because I don't know what I think of you, it's just I can't…tell you because I'm already embarrassed enough and don't want to make it worse," he added in a hasty whisper, hoping Katara didn't catch that last part. Zuko had never felt more like an idiot than he did at this very moment.

"What? Oh, okay." Katara stood still for a moment, thinking. "Well, good night."

"Good night."

_Life…just got awkward.

* * *

Score one for awkward teenaged moments! Unless they happen to you. Then they suck._

21 more days until Christmas!!!


	17. Private Moments

Gah...sooooooooooo sorry. Cold set in, I collapsed in the school clinic, I was out for three days, school work piled up...yuk.

And to Nyx, see? I updated!

* * *

Katara was up a few hours before Zuko, so when he finally woke up, the Waterbender had gone. _Finally…_

Zuko made sure Katara wasn't coming back and crept over to her side of the room. Carefully, he dug around until he found that handbag that had started this whole mess.

He felt dirty for doing this, but last night before the lantern had gone out, Zuko had seen Katara's silhouette take out the bag and put something in. And after that question, Zuko was buzzing to find out what it was.

The hairpin Zuko remembered her wearing fell out, along with a piece of gold silk that looked for all the work like part of his training outfit, small conch, and a carving of a yin yang symbol, most of the things Momo had found. Taking the piece of silk, the faint, smoky smell that accompanied any Firebender's training outfit reached Zuko's nose. It _was _part of his old training outfit. He dimly remembered stopping in the middle of his training to go after Aang and tearing his outfit on a branch right before they ran away. Katara must have taken it…but why? At the time, they hated everything about each other…right?

He put that down and found what Katara had added to the eclectic bunch. It was a piece of parchment, folded up. Now that he noticed it, Zuko realized there were many such parchments. "A diary of some sorts…" he muttered.

_Take one and read it!_

_No. I'm not going to invade Katara's privacy._

_You are already._

_I'm not going to read her private thoughts. That's something her brother would do._

At that, Zuko put everything back into the handbag carefully; it didn't take him long. He stashed it back in its hiding place and left.

* * *

Katara was with Toph and Suki, talking over a pot of tea Iroh (who else?) had made.

"Come on, Toph, you picked truth. Who do you like?" Katara egged. Suki laughed at Toph's pout.

"Well, I had a stupid crush on Snoozles, but Fan Girl over here blew that out of the water," she muttered. "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you, but I've always kinda had a crush on Twinkles."

Katara and Suki roared with laughter. "Now _there's _a match I wouldn't mind seeing a matchmaker attempt!" Suki teased. "Gods, Hin would have a heyday."

"Hin?"

"My grandmother, the Kyoshi Island matchmaker. Everyone calls her Hin," Suki explained. Katara giggled some more.

"Okay, Suki, your turn."

"Dare."

Toph paused. "Kiss the next mammal that passes by, whether it's Sokka or Momo."

"Fine." Suki never backed down from a dare.

The girls sat around, waiting for a mammal. Finally, someone came up behind them.

"Have any of you seen my boomer-" Sokka was cut off as Suki's lips crashed into his. As they parted, Sokka looked confused. "Uh…never mind…" He walked off, dazed. Toph and Katara cracked up.

"You had that planned, Fan Girl," Toph accused. Suki smirked.

"Not saying I did, not saying I didn't. Katara, truth or dare?"

Zuko happened to come across them as Katara replied, "Truth."

_Some girl thing,_ he thought, hiding so he could listen without getting caught.

"Hmm…biggest secret," Toph demanded. Zuko snorted silently. He knew _that_. It was that handbag. Or so he thought.

Katara blushed, oblivious to Zuko's presence. "Um…well…geez Toph, why this one?"

"'Cuz I can."

"Mean, that's what you are. Well…promise not to tell anyone?"

"Of course, Katara."

"Duh, Sugar Queen."

"I bought this handbag in Ba Sing Se, which you know about Toph. But, inside that bag are things that remind me of a certain someone I'm not mentioning since someone close to him made the tea," she added in a whisper.

"Scarface?" Toph whispered.

"Who else do you know that has an uncle makes tea?" Suki asked. Then she giggled like a silly little girl. "Katara has an illegal crush!"

"Do not!"

"Why else would you keep things that remind you of him?" For that, Katara had no answer.

Zuko, on the other hand, wanted to go out there and tell her, "I'm glad we feel the same way, Katara", or some other such lame statement. _She has a crush on me? Isn't Mai still infatuated with me? _Zuko's head was swimming. Girls were most certainly weird, and they just got weirder.

The hiding prince came out into the open. "Do I want to know?" he asked, acting as if he had no interest in the girls (not anymore, at least).

"We were just finishing up, actually," Toph said. "Suki, let's go help Snoozles find his boomerang. He's still fumbling around in your room." Suki rolled her eyes and stood.

"Okay. See ya, Katara. See ya, Zuko."

"Ditcher," Katara muttered as Zuko shook his head and sat down. He waited a minute, then started talking.

"Do you still have that handbag?" Katara gulped and nodded.

"Yeah. It's hidden in a niche in the room that I covered with my stuff," she said. "Don't going digging, though. Please?" Zuko nodded. He didn't intend to go digging again.

Katara smiled in thanks. Making sure no one was around, Zuko placed his hand on the hand Katara had resting on the table. Katara jumped at the unexpected contact, but didn't say anything.

"About last night…" she started. Zuko shook his head.

"I'd really rather not go there again. It was too awkward," he reminded her. Katara laughed softly.

"Point." There was brief silence. "When it comes down to it, who will you fight with? Us, or your father?"

"I'm staying on the side I've picked. I don't want my fat…I don't want Lord Ozai to win the war," Zuko said. Katara looked at him.

"He's not your father anymore?"

"He never was, and I'm not addressing him as such." Zuko's eyes went cold, like they had before he had joined the group. Katara squeezed his hand.

"Who needs him when you have a great family right now? Iroh really is related to you, and Aang's like the annoying little brother that everyone knows. Toph's the little sister, Suki is the sensible one, and Sokka's just…well, Sokka." Zuko laughed, then turned to Katara.

"What about you?" Katara shook her head.

"I'm fourteen. I'm too confused about stupid things right now to be much," she said. Zuko thought about it.

"Girlfriend…" he muttered softly.

"What?" Katara turned to him. Had he just said what she thought he just said?

Zuko gulped. Might as well explain. "If this were a real family (albeit a dysfunctional one), you'd be the mother, or the girlfriend." Could Zuko be anymore embarrassed? Well, if Azula showed up and heard that part…

"Really? And who would be the boyfriend?" Katara asked coyly. Zuko looked her in the eyes.

"Well…there's no one left but me," he whispered. Katara blushed slightly. She scooted closer to Zuko's side.

"That's true. Just like there's no one here right now but us. Which is very odd; I'm so used to Aang being around," added Katara. Zuko smirked.

"So his training also gives us some more peace and quiet. That's good." He took a deep breath. "Katara, I need to-"

"Katara! Sokka jammed his finger in a door!" Suki sound both exasperated and worried. "We need you!" Katara shook her head, exasperated for two reasons. One was because her imbecile brother couldn't be trusted alone. The second reason was that she never got more than…seven and a half minutes alone with Zuko, and she desperately needed to get the courage to tell him something.

"Coming, Suki." Katara stood up and left, leaving Zuko as fed up as she.

* * *

Getting a love life is hard when Sokka's your brother, huh? 


	18. Fanicful Kisses

A few days passed and Aang was still working on the Avatar State. Not that anyone minded; it gave them time to rest up and recuperate. Unfortunately, every time Zuko and Katara got a moment alone, Sokka did something to interrupt.

Finally, Zuko got fed up with it. Katara put something in her bag every night; Zuko would leave a note telling her to meet him somewhere Suki's voice wouldn't reach so he could talk to her. Like on Appa.

That morning, before Katara came in, Zuko dug out her handbag. He was about to put the note in it, but stopped when he saw one addressed to him.

_Zuko, _it read, _I know you went through my bag, either before or after I told you. I had arranged the things in here in a certain way and they weren't like that that night. Knowing teenaged boys, I knew eventually you'd go back to see if anything new was in it or something. _

_I really need to talk to you, and soon. If you want, meet me at the western pagoda at ten the day you read this._

_By the way, don't go through my stuff again. I'll freeze you in your bed._

_Katara_

Zuko had the distinct feeling that Katara knew what he was thinking, but let it slide. It was almost ten now…he could make it.

Hiding the bag again, Zuko set off at a run to get to Katara. With any luck, Sokka would be at the eastern end of the temple.

As he ran, he remembered his…dream, if you could call it that. It was more fantasy than dream, really.

* * *

_Zuko was lying on his bed at the Fire Palace when Katara came in. She spotted him and went over. Zuko sat up, pulling Katara into his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he started to gently kiss her neck._

"_Zuko…I missed you," Katara muttered, giving Zuko more access by moving her hair and cocking her head. "Remind me to never go to Omashu without you."_

_Zuko chuckled. "Of course. I don't know what I was thinking, letting you go." He started to recline, pulling Katara with him. The Waterbender giggled and started kissing Zuko's scar. _

"_There are perks to being separated from you for two months, though," she reminded him. Zuko growled and nipped her neck gently._

"_No, there's not."_

"_Oh, I definitely think there is."_

That was all Zuko cared to recall. The rest of it was…vividly satisfying, to say the least. If he hadn't woken up when he had, Zuko might have needed new sheets.

* * *

Katara was standing at a balcony, waiting. Dimly, Zuko remembered the story about how his uncle fell in love with his aunt. Aunt Li had been waiting for him at a balcony in the Fire Palace.

"About time you peeked," Katara teased. "I've been waiting here everyday for a week, since I told you the hiding place." Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Am I that predictable?" Katara giggled.

"No. I just know you too well." Katara smiled softly and took Zuko's arm. "I'm just glad Sokka is on the other side of the Temple right now. There is no way Suki could reach us, and if I do hear her voice, I'm ignoring her. Unless Sokka's half-killed himself or something…," she added as an afterthought.

Zuko smirked. "I think the quiet would be a nice change. And there would be more food." Katara laughed and swatted Zuko.

"That's cruel." They stood looking out over the balcony for a few moments. Finally, Zuko broke the peaceful quietness.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Katara nodded and starting gnawing on a strand of loose hair, a nervous habit.

"I…I, uh, I…I think I, um, oh, gods, this is embarrassing…" Katara trailed off. _I hate hormones…._

Zuko looked at her. He could tell she wanted to tell him something (and he thought he knew what), but she couldn't. "Does it have anything to do with what that guru said?" he asked gently. Katara snorted.

"If it wasn't for that guy, I never would have realized that I fell so hard," she said.

"Fell?" Zuko carefully coaxed her out. Katara nodded.

"'Fire cannot burn you'...It only burns when you fall in it." Katara let that part die out in her voice.

"You've lost me."

"I said fire only burns if you fall in it," Katara repeated. Zuko brought Katara closer.

"What about water? Can't it douse the fire?" he whispered.

"What if the water doesn't want to douse this fire? This fire is passionate, enchanting, powerful, warm, and different from most fires," Katara replied. "This water wants to let the fire burn and boil her away."

Zuko nodded. "What would happen if the fire didn't boil the water? Maybe the fire thinks the water is soothing, gentle, and beautiful. The fire might want to be doused by the water." He brushed Katara's face with his hand. She rested her head on his hand.

"Isn't this too soon?" she asked. Zuko recalled his dream and shook his head.

"How long have I been traveling with you?"

Katara paused. "Two months, give or take."

"How long have I known you? From the time we first really interacted to now."

"Seven months, maybe."

"That's almost a year. Katara, I…" Zuko couldn't say it; he was never very eloquent. He merely leaned down and kissed her.

It wasn't a long kiss, or a particularly sensual one. It the kind of kiss you expect your first kiss to be like, with the right person; it was simple, yet beautiful.

Ask Katara, though, and she'll tell you that Zuko's kiss lifted her so high, she thought Appa might have to come get her down. Ask Zuko, and he'll tell you the same thing.

When they parted, Katara fell into Zuko's embrace. Stroking her hair, Zuko murmured gently in her ear. "All I can say is this had better not be a dream," he whispered. "I might break something if it is." Katara giggled softly.

"Well, it doesn't feel like a dream, and I've had a lot of dreams concerning you," she admitted. Zuko smiled. Thank Agni. Katara continued.

"I'm almost afraid to go back. I don't want Sokka to come in and get all mad at me for kissing you." Zuko nodded and remained holding her against his chest.

Little did either teen know, Guru Pathik and Aang were watching. Aang was heartbroken at first, but then realized Katara had liked Zuko for a long time, since he had saved her from the Dai Li, more than likely. Nodding his approval, Aang turned to his Guru.

"I think I'm ready."

* * *

Viola! They've kissed, and Aang should be done with his chakra stuff in the morning.

Now, before people get all "How is Aang so accepting?!!?!?!?", I want to point out that he has been chakra-training for a week. He's gotten used to the idea that there is someone out there for everyone, and if anyone deserves a decent girlfriend, it's Zuko. (Basically, the first day or so of this version of the training consisted of figuring out which spirit guarded who and the paths of stars and fate being written in the stars.) Besides, he trusts Zuko and knows that he won't hurt Katara.

And I know I'll probably end up putting this in another chapter as Aang's explanation of his acceptance to Sokka, but pfft.


	19. The End?

Have you ever seen_ La Belle et La Bête?_ It's black and white and all in French (means Beauty and the Beast). It's simply _beautiful. _Watch it. It has English subtitles, so even my French I class can watch it. (Sorry, I've been thinking about that movie all day.)

* * *

Katara spent the rest of the day daydreaming about what had conspired on the balcony. True, now that she thought about it, the whole metaphor thing was kinda cheesy. But that was beside the point. _Zuko _had _kissed her._ That was like Sokka not falling over a rock; nice, but not something you'd expect.

It seemed to her that Suki and Toph knew, but that was impossible. Right?

_Great, one kiss and I'm paranoid! _Katara thought. _I need to talk to Zuko tonight._

That night at supper, Aang returned. "I'm done! I mastered the Avatar State! Guru Pathik said all I need to do now is master Firebending and I'm good! But right now, I'm hungry. He kept me on onion and banana juice. What's cooking?"

Toph smirked. "You seem hyper for someone who just got done with shookra training."

"Chakra." Toph nodded.

"Shookra."

"Whatever. What's for dinner?"

The night passed relatively pleasantly. Iroh brought a dish from the Fire Nation he had made, which brought on "I remember when Zuko" tales. Zuko merely ignored him, and countered with his own embarrassing stories of Iroh.

"Don't get me started. You were the one who bought out half the market."

"I lost my lotus tile!"

"And a lot of good it did us."

Katara sat next to Zuko the entire time, smiling. If Sokka noticed she seemed happier next to him than usual, he didn't respond. If he were to look under the table, though, he'd have seen Katara's hand resting on Zuko's knee.

After dinner, Katara excused herself, followed shortly by Zuko. Once a reasonable distance away from the others, Zuko took Katara's arm and led her to the room.

"I heard from Uncle Iroh that we might be moving on soon. The atmosphere isn't good to teach Aang Firebending, apparently. There's a small town not far from this place that he says will be better for Aang's lessons."

"Feng shui?"

"Oh, yeah. He won't do anything if feng shui is bad enough," Zuko scoffed. Katara sighed and leaned up against Zuko.

"Come on. Let's go to the room." Zuko nodded and they went the rest of the way in silence.

"Is it just me, or does it seem like people who shouldn't know about what happened this morning know about what happened this morning?" Katara asked as soon they were alone and the door was shut.

"My uncle seems more know-it-all than normal, if that's what you're talking about," Zuko said, turning around and unfastening his shirt. It had been ripped during the course of the day and needed repairing. Katara giggled.

"I'm talking about Suki and Toph. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if they set us up, keeping Sokka occupied somewhere else.

(Outside the room, a certain blind Earthbender became thirty copper pieces richer.)

Zuko snorted. "I highly doubt that."

(Said Earthbender lost ten copper pieces.)

Katara argued back. "They knew I had a crush on you! At least Suki knew."

(Ten silver gained. How Fan Girl had ten silver was beyond her.)

"And I'm telling you that no one could have known where we'd be, unless Suki read the note."

(Fan Girl had gained five coppers.)

"Toph can sense things from at least two miles away maybe three if there is no interference," Katara pointed out. To that, Zuko had no reply.

(Yes! Toph had gotten all of Suki's money.)

"So what if they know? I highly doubt Suki will tell your brother. Besides, does it really matter?" Zuko asked, coming up to Katara and taking her in his arms. Katara flushed when she realized Zuko hadn't put another shirt on. She really took in how toned Zuko had become since Ba Sing Se, when he had be comparable to Sokka. Ignoring it, Katara embraced Zuko back.

"That's true, but I just don't want to know what my brother will do when and if he finds out." Zuko brushed Katara's face gently.

"Well, if Suki, Toph, and my uncle really do know, they obviously are okay with it," he pointed out. "I don't think we have to worry."

"Just wait until Aang finds out. He's had this crush on me forever, apparently. Suki and Toph only told me a few days ago," Katara said. "I really hope he doesn't use his new Avatar powers on you." Zuko winced

"He used them on me when he had just been found, remember? He wasn't half as strong, yet I think I still have the mark." Zuko absently placed a hand on his hip, feeling for the mark. Katara giggled and placed her hand on his.

"I wonder…are you ticklish?"

"What? Katara, are you-" Zuko didn't get any further because Katara promptly started tickling him and, much to Zuko's dismay, he started laughing.

"Knew it! Hey, Zuko's ticklish!" Katara mock-yelled. Zuko, actually enjoying himself, decided to get back at the Waterbender and grab her arms. She fought, but Zuko was too strong. They ended collapsed on Zuko's bed, breathless.

"I didn't know you were capable of having fun," Katara panted, looking at Zuko. The Firebender smirked.

"I'm learning."

* * *

Sunlight hit Katara's face, reminded the young girl she had fallen asleep…in Zuko's bed.

With Zuko.

Alone.

Looking around, she realized that it was just dawn, so no one would be awake to see her and Zuko in a compromising situation.

Though, personally, Katara didn't see anything compromising about it. She was fully clothed, sleeping on the same bed as her…how would you describe the relationship between her and Zuko? Friend didn't cover it, but lover sounded too accusing.

_Beloved, I guess, _she thought, rolling over.

Zuko was apparently awake, because his arms instantly surrounded her. "About time," he murmured. "I think Uncle is going to make us relocate today." Katara groaned.

"No."

Unfortunately, that is precisely what Iroh proceeded to do once everyone was awake. "If I am to properly teach the Avatar Firebending, I need to be near a Fire Temple or Shrine, or in a Fire Nation town," he informed them. Sokka shook his head.

"Are you telling us that we have to go into the Fire Nation just so you can teach Aang how to light a candle without a match?" he asked. Iroh paused.

"No. There is a small town not far from here. They might have the required supplies to construct a small, portable Fire Shrine. We can take it with us when we need to. Most Firebenders don't follow the old practice of praying before practice, but I do when I can." Toph cocked her head.

"So you want to make a pocket-shrine? Hmm…where ya gonna get a statue? Don't most shrines have statues?" Iroh smiled.

"I still have a small statue of Avatar Roku I received one year for my birthday in my pocket," he told them. Zuko couldn't resist a jibe at his uncle.

"Did you get it when Roku was still alive?" he taunted. Iroh seemed shocked, but broke out into laughter.

"No, Zuko. I was born roughly fifty years after Roku's death. But the statue is one that the Avatar actually sat for." Aang perked up.

"Lemme see. I am Roku reincarnation, after all." Iroh held up his hand.

"You shall see it when the shrine is built." Aang nodded.

"Well, come on guys!" He dashed off on an Air Scooter to load up Appa. Toph shook her head, following her star pupil. Suki smiled and led Sokka away from the remains of breakfast. The remaining teens returned to the shared room. Katara flopped down on her bed.

"Just when I was getting used to a real bed again, we get dragged away," she complained. Zuko smirked and looked down at her.

"We'll combine sleeping mats while we're on the road," he promised. "Now come on."

* * *

I left this chapter like this for a reason.

I'm always getting requests to do sequels, and I thought I might try to do one with TWSH. If enough people wouldn't mind me doing a sequel instead of another 30+ chapter fic, I'll do that. I really think the handbag has done all it can do for this Zutara episode. Otherwise...well, this fic will be looooong.


End file.
